Vedanta Resources Ltd Chairman Anil Agarwal has said the decision to set up a semiconductor facility in Gujarat instead of Maharashtra was based on professional and independent advice while clarifying that the company is still committed to investing in Maharashtra.
The chairman took to the social micro-blogging site Twitter saying, "We decided on Gujarat few months ago as it met our expectations. But in the July meeting with Maharashtra leadership, they made a huge effort to outbid other states with a competitive offer. We have to start in one place and based on professional and independent advice, we chose Gujarat."
“We are committed to investing in Maharashtra. We will soon create a hub where Maharashtra will be part of our forward integration,” Agarwal added in a series of tweets.
He mentioned Vedanta-Foxconn have been assessing the sites and engaging in dialogue with state governments for the last two years, and hoped to continue these conversations for the growth of our country in years to come.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis welcomed the company's decision to “choose Maharashtra for forward integration." "It is disappointing that negative, false & baseless claims are being spread to gain political mileage," the minister tweeted. " This is only to hide their own incompetence. I want to ask opposition leaders, who sent back Rs 3.5 lakh crore refinery from Maharashtra?," he added.
After the deal between Vedanta-Foxconn and Gujarat was announced, Maharashtra Opposition leaders criticised the state government for letting go of the opportunity.
Shiv Sena leader Aditya Thackeray accused the Shinde-led government saying, "Although I’m glad to see this in India, I am also a little bit shocked," he said. Aditya pointed out, "For a project almost finalised, and a new dispensation claiming credit over it, only shows lack of commitment from the new dispensation for our state’s progress." The former Maharashtra minister said that he himself had worked on the deal and the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government had almost compeleted it.
Anil Agarwal-led Vedanta Ltd and Taiwan’s Foxconn signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) on Tuesday with the Gujarat government to build a semiconductor and display FAB manufacturing unit in the state with an investment of over Rs 1.54 lakh crore the news agency reported.
The Vedanta-Foxconn group will set up a Display Fab Unit in Gujarat with an investment of Rs 94,500 crore as well as an integrated semiconductor fab facility and OSAT unit in Gujarat with an investment of Rs 60,000 crore.
The two MoUs, together, will bring an investment of more than Rs 1.54 lakh crore and generate around 1 lakh new job opportunities, said Jitu Vaghani during the event at a hotel in Gandhinagar.