(Photo: IANS)
Ahmedabad, July 5 (IANS) The start of commercial semiconductor chip production at CG Semi's Outsourced Semiconductor Assembly and Test (OSAT) facility in Gujarat's Sanand has brought into focus the role of young women from tribal regions of Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi citing their contribution as an example of India's emerging skilled manufacturing workforce.
The Prime Minister inaugurated the commercial production of chips at the facility on Saturday and noted that the women employed at the plant had travelled from tribal belts in states, including Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, to work in India's semiconductor industry after completing their education at Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs).
Speaking at the event, PM Modi said the women had guided him through the factory with confidence and explained each stage of the manufacturing process in detail.
"The sisters and daughters working here have come from the tribal belts of states such as Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh. When these daughters showed me around the factory, they explained every process with great enthusiasm and confidence. These girls, who come from ordinary families, studied in ordinary schools and received their education from ITIs, are today doing extraordinary work," he added.
The Prime Minister said that perceptions about vocational education had changed over time, adding that many of the women had achieved milestones that would once have seemed beyond their reach.
"There was a time when if someone studied in an ITI, parents would even feel hesitant to mention it. But times have changed. Their education may have been from an ITI, but their dreams are extraordinary. Many of these daughters come from families where no one had ever even applied for or seen a passport. Forget travelling abroad, many of them had never even seen Delhi or Mumbai. But today, these very daughters went to Malaysia for training, learnt the world's most advanced semiconductor technology, and are now making an important contribution to the production of 'Made in India' semiconductor chips," he emphasised.
Among those referred to by the Prime Minister are Poonam Kumari from Giridih district of Jharkhand, Priyanka Dhanwar from West Singhbhum district of Jharkhand and Shivani Uikey from Balaghat district of Madhya Pradesh.
All three are employed as machine operators at the CG Semi plant.
Poonam Kumari, who lives with her mother after the death of her father, said joining the semiconductor industry had given her opportunities she had never imagined.
"I had never even travelled outside Jharkhand. We were sent to Malaysia for training. If we do not understand anything during the training, it is explained to us in Hindi as well, and everything is also demonstrated practically," she added.
Priyanka Dhanwar said her employment had become a source of pride for her family, adding that she was the first person from her household to travel abroad.
Shivani Uikey said her parents were overwhelmed by her achievement.
"Seeing our success, tears of happiness came to our parents' eyes. Together with CG Semi, we are going to create history," she added.
The women underwent training in Malaysia before joining production operations at the Sanand facility, where they are now involved in semiconductor chip manufacturing as part of India's expanding domestic semiconductor programme.
