NE BUSINESS BUREAU
BENGALURU, JUNE 16
Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises of India H D Kumaraswamy has reportedly raised concerns over the central government subsidy given to large firms like US-headquartered semiconductor manufacturer Micron. He questioned the company “potentially receiving a subsidy of ₹3.2 crore for every job it creates” in Gujarat.
Semiconductor is a strategic industry. It is a basic requirement for electronics and automobile manufacturing. Both these sectors generate lots of employment. I greatly appreciate the semiconductor related initiatives taken by @PMOIndia and will work towards fulfilling them…
— ಹೆಚ್.ಡಿ.ಕುಮಾರಸ್ವಾಮಿ | H.D.Kumaraswamy (@hd_kumaraswamy) June 15, 2024
The Union Minister said he had asked officials “how justifiable it is to allocate such a significant amount of funds”. He also questioned the benefits given to small-scale industries.
Kumaraswamy reportedly said, “There are small-scale industries… In Peenya (an industrial estate in Bengaluru), there are small-scale industries. How many lakh jobs have they created? What benefits have we provided to them? I am contemplating these matters, such as how to safeguard the nation’s wealth,”
He was speaking to party workers upon returning to Bengaluru after joining the third Narendra Modi government.
Kumaraswamy clarifies
Kumaraswamy’s JD(S) party is part of the BJP-led NDS government at the Centre. He took over as the Union Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises of India in Prime Minister Narendra Modi government last week. Meanwhile, the BJP is also in power in Gujarat.
After identifying the company in his address to party workers in Karnataka on Friday, Kumaraswamy clarified that he was “not authorised” to do so, reports Times of India.
He told media houses on Saturday that he was “misquoted”. He said, “I have not mentioned any state. Why has my statement been picked up like this? I have to be very cautious in the future.”
