Vaishnaw launches Semicon 2.0 portal; 12 more ECMS projects approved

9 November 2026 · English Science & Technology

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Topics: Science & Technology · UPSC Prelims · TNPSC · SSC · Current Affairs

Current affairs of 9 November 2026 (Shanmugam IAS Academy) – explained for UPSC, TNPSC and other competitive exams

News

On 6 November 2026, Union Electronics and IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw launched the web application portal for 'Semicon 2.0', the second phase of the Semicon India Programme. Approved by the Union Cabinet in July 2026 with an outlay of ₹1,27,500 crore, the programme rests on six pillars: chip design, machines and materials, fabrication units (fabs), ATMP/OSAT, R&D and talent development. Applications have first been opened for three pillars – machines and materials (Pillar 2), more fabs (Pillar 3) and ATMP/OSAT (Pillar 4). The aim is to attract at least three major equipment makers and five chemicals-and-gases companies. On the same day, 12 more projects under the Electronics Component Manufacturing Scheme (ECMS) were approved, with ₹7,503 crore investment and 7,127 direct jobs. They will come up in seven states – Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh. Copper foil, cathode active material and specialty ceramics received ECMS approvals for the first time.

Key facts for the exam

Background

• India Semiconductor Mission (ISM): started in December 2021 with the ₹76,000-crore Semicon India Programme; it is the nodal body under MeitY for chip and display schemes. Phase 1 approved 12 units in six states; as of October 2026, five of them had begun commercial production.
• Science: semiconductors conduct electricity better than insulators but less than conductors. Silicon and germanium are elemental semiconductors; gallium arsenide (GaAs), gallium nitride (GaN) and silicon carbide (SiC) are compound semiconductors, used in LEDs, EV power electronics and 5G. Adding phosphorus to pure silicon gives an n-type, and boron a p-type, semiconductor.
• Chip value chain: design (fabless firms) → wafer fabrication in a 'fab' (front-end) → ATMP/OSAT – assembly, testing, marking and packaging (back-end). OSAT means 'Outsourced Semiconductor Assembly and Test' – contract firms that assemble and test chips for others. India's first approved project, US firm Micron's ATMP unit (approved 2023), is at Sanand, Gujarat.
• Economy: the Electronics Component Manufacturing Scheme (ECMS) was approved by the Union Cabinet on 28 March 2025 with an outlay of ₹22,919 crore; it promotes domestic manufacture of 'passive' components such as PCBs, resistors and capacitors, sub-assemblies, and their materials and capital goods. The Chips to Startup (C2S) programme builds chip-design skills; 105 startups have been given EDA tools.

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Sources: PIB via DD India; Outlook; ISM; Business Today; News On AIR; DT Next. Compiled by Shanmugam IAS Academy.

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