At the inauguration of Semicon 2024, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday made a pitch for India to the chip makers to boost investments in domestic manufacturing of semiconductors and said the resilience of supply chains is critical for the economy. 

Addressing the Semicon India 2024, the Prime Minister said the Covid pandemic showed the importance of the supply chain and underscored the need to act to ward off any disruption.

“Resilience of the supply chain is very important. India is working to create the same in different sectors of the economy,” PM Modi said at the India Expo Mart in Greater Noida in Uttar Pradesh.

PM Modi said India is world’s 8th country where such a huge event linked with global semiconductor industry is being held.

“I can say that this is the right time to be in India. You are at the right place at the right time. In the India of 21st century, the chips are never down. Today’s India makes the world believe that when the chips are down, you can bet on India,” PM Modi added.

The Prime Minister showcased India’s reformist regime, stable policies and a market that has tasted technology to make a strong pitch for investments in semiconductor manufacturing.

PM Modi said it is the country’s dream to have an Indian-made chip in every device in the world, adding “We will do everything that is needed to make India a semiconductor powerhouse.”

Talking of steps his government took to boost semiconductor manufacturing, he said a reformist government, a growing manufacturing base and an aspirational market that has tasted technology provide a ‘Three-D Power’ for chip making in the country.

He said investment of over Rs 1.5 lakh crore has already been committed in semiconductor manufacturing and many projects are in pipeline.

Union Minister of Electronics & Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw, during a press conference on the sidelines of Semicon, said: “It is a very difficult task to start a semiconductor industry. This work was done by the entire team under PM’s visionary leadership.”

He said the kind of support received in this journey from across the country was an unprecedented experience. Today, semiconductor leaders of the world are here and all of them are saying one thing in their experience of 30-40 years, for the first time they are witnessing that the entire ecosystem is together in one place, he added.

“This itself shows how important India is in their plan and how much confidence they have today on our journey, efforts, stable policies, and visionary leadership of our prime minister,” the Union Minister said.

The Manipur government on Tuesday suspended internet services across the state for five days with effect from 3 pm today till 3 pm on September 15 amid rising student agitation and imposed curfews in Imphal East and West districts and prohibitory orders under Section 163 (2) of BNSS in Thoubal.

In order to prevent the spread of hate speech, images, and videos via social media platforms, the government has suspended internet services including mobile data, broadband, VPN services, and other communication lines.

“Temporary suspension/curbing of internet and mobile data services including Lease Lines, VSATs, broadbands and VPN services (were ordered) in the territorial jurisdiction of the state of Manipur for five days with effect from 3 PM of September 10 to till 3 PM of September 15,” the notification read.

According to reports, a large number of students from various schools and colleges have been protesting since Monday at the Khwairamband Women’s Market in Imphal, demanding action against those behind the recent drone and missile attacks.

Protesting students, calling for the protection of the state’s territorial and administrative integrity, could not march towards the Raj Bhavan today as they were stopped by security forces near the Congress Bhavan.

Home Minister Amit Shah’s effigy was burnt by the Manipur University students during a protest rally here.

According to officials, tear gas shells were fired at the protesting students including women as a clash with security forces erupted during the agitators’ attempt to march towards the Raj Bhavan to press for their demands to remove the DGP and security advisor to the Manipur government.

Education authorities stated that all government, aided, and private schools and colleges in Manipur will remain closed on September 11 and 12.

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, speaking to a reporter on the situation, said Manipur is a part of India and Prime Minister Narendra  Modi has neglected the state as if it is not a part of India for him. It is very saddening, the former Bihar deputy chief minister said.

AAP leader and Delhi Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj said: “The situation is very dangerous in Manipur. BJP is continuously protecting its CM N Biren Singh. PM Modi does not want to visit Manipur.”

Speaking to news agency PTI on situation, social activist Rohan Philem said, “I have been speaking actively on the crisis of Manipur which has been going on for almost 15 months. I just came here to inquire about the students. However, a lot of unnecessary havoc broke out today. According to my count, 15-20 students have been injured and one student died at the hospital premises.”

The Delhi Patiala House Court on Tuesday granted interim bail to Jammu and Kashmir’s Baramulla MP Sheikh Rashid alias Engineer Rashid till October 2 in a terror funding case, ahead of Assembly elections.

The Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) leader Rashid was arrested by National Investigation Agency (NIA) under the stringent UAPA {Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act} in 2017.

Rashid, who has been in Delhi’s Tihar Jail since 2019, was arrested by the probe agency after his name cropped up during the investigation of Kashmiri businessman Zahoor Watali.

To campaign in the upcoming Assembly polls in the Union Territory, the AIP leader Rashid had moved the court seeking interim bail for exercising his rights.

According to the national probe agency, he was allegedly funding terror groups and separatists in Kashmir.  

Kashmiri separatist leader Yasin Malik, Lashkar-e-Taiba founder Hafiz Saeed and Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin were among the names in the chargesheet filed by the NIA in the case.

In 2022, Kashmiri separatist leader Malik was sentenced to life imprisonment by a trial court after he pleaded guilty to the charges.

In the recent Lok Sabha elections, Engineer Rashid, contesting as an independent candidate, defeated former Chief Minister and National Conference (NC) Vice President Omar Abdullah from the Baramulla seat.

As the Union Territory is set to vote in the Assembly elections next week, Rashid’s Awami Ittehad Party has recently released a list of candidates for nine seats in the upcoming Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections. 

The list includes Abdul Qayoom Mir from Pampore; Harbaksh Singh from Tral; Sofi Iqbal from Pulwama; Molvi Fayaz Wagay from Zainapora in Shopian; Mohammad Arif Dar from DH Pora in Kulgam; Suhail Bhat from Devsar in Kulgam; Hilal Ahmad Malik from Dooru in Anantnag; Aqib Mushtaq from Anantnag West and Tawseef Nisar from Anantnag.