Government Sets Up Task Force To Revive Domestic Mobile

BANGALORE: Aiming to take the Make in India programme a step further, the Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY) has formed a Fast Track Task Force to re-establish growth in the country's mobile handset and component manufacturing eco-system.

"The task force will be meeting the Department of Electronics and Information Technology secretary (R.S.Sharma) in the first week of January," Pankaj Mohindroo, national president, Indian Cellular Association, told IANS. Sharma is also the chairman of the task force.

"(One of the tasks is) To promote large-scale manufacturing/assembling activity to achieve production of 500 million units by 2019. This can create additional employment opportunities for 1.5 million approximately," a note issued by the department said.

It also laid thrust on increasing exports from the estimated 30 million units in 2014 to 120 million units by 2019.

India's position in mobile phone exports has fallen from seventh in 2009 to 14th in 2013. The value of exports was $3.40 billion in 2009 and fell to $2.28 billion in 2013.

Industry stakeholders say at this rate, handset exports will crash to zero in 2015.

"Through this task force we will be reaching out to global handset manufacturers, brands, ODMs (original design manufacturers) and EMS (electronic manufacturing services) to request them to come and set up shop in India. The government has to provide a level playing fields to those players," Mohindroo said.