Lok Sabha Question No. 4444 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-08-20
Subject: Semiconductor Laboratory in Mohali
Ministry: ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Asked by: Shri Manish Tewari

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4444

TO BE ANSWERED ON: 20 .08.2025

## SEMICONDUCTOR LABORATORY IN MOHALI

## 4444.   SHRI MANISH TEWARI:

Will the Minister of ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has discontinued the association of the Semiconductor Laboratory (SCL),  Mohali  from  the  Department  of  Space  (DoS)  and  ISRO  following  the  Union  Cabinet decision dated 5 December 2021 and if so, the rationale behind this reorganisation;
- (b)  whether any consultations were held with the Punjab Government, SCL scientists or other stakeholders prior to this decision and if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether the Government plans to retain any ISRO-linked projects at SCL and if so, the details thereof;
- (d)  the  steps  taken  by  the  Government to  address service continuity, pension entitlements and redeployment issues faced by scientists transferred from ISRO to SCL; and
- (e) whether a roadmap has been prepared for infrastructure upgradation, talent retention and future technology development at SCL and if not, the reasons for the delay?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI JITIN PRASADA)

(a) to (e): Semiconductor manufacturing is a foundational and strategic industry, vital for national development. Semiconductor chips are critical for manufacturing of many products ranging from mobile phones to refrigerators and cars to missiles. With growth in electronics manufacturing, it is imperative  for  India  to  develop  the  semiconductor  industry,  which  provides  components  to electronics manufacturing. Semiconductor  ecosystem:  includes designing, fabrication and packaging of chips. All of these require capital investment for a sustained period and highly skilled manpower.  Chip  manufacturing  processes  need  more  than  three  hundred  different  types  of specialized gases and chemicals.

India's  semiconductor  strategy  is  comprehensive.    It  aims  to  develop  a  complete  ecosystem, ranging from design, fabrication, assembly, testing, packing, and manufacturing.  India is focusing on developing a deep talent pipeline.

India's strategy is inspired by Hon'ble Prime Minister's vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India, Make for the World.  It builds on the design capabilities in our country.

Recognising  the  importance  of  semiconductor  industry,  Government  approved  Semicon  India programme with  a  total  outlay  of  ₹76,000  crore,  following  the  Inter -Ministerial  Consultation, including Department of Space and SCL, Mohali which includes modernization and upgradation of Semi-conductor Laboratory (SCL). Accordingly, SCL  has been brought under the administrative control of MeitY, vide notification dated 07.02.2022.

Semi-Conductor Laboratory (SCL) Mohali undertakes activities related to the design, development,  fabrication,  assembly  and  packaging,  testing,  and  quality  assurance  of  Silicon CMOS and MEMS devices for various applications including strategic sectors. SCL manufactures a  variety  of  ICs,  including  linear  voltage  regulators,  voltage  references  and  switches,  data converters, amplifiers, drivers and application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs). These ICs have applications in various sectors including space.

SCL fulfils the requirements of Department of Space and ISRO, thereby catering to the strategic requirement of country.

With the change in administrative control, while meeting the strategic requirements, SCL Mohali is also being used by Indian start-ups and academia to fabricate chips. 56 designs by 34 institutions have been taped out under Chips to Startup (C2S) Programme at SCL Mohali. Out of this, end to end fabrication has been completed for 28 chips designed by 25 academic institutions.

Augmentation of SCL is part of the overall goal of giving SCL a larger role in the development of semiconductor ecosystem in the country. SCL employees are integral part of this modernization process.

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