A PLACE FOR THE CHIP
Outlook Business|December 2023
Union electronics and information technology minister Ashwini Vaishnaw's entry into the Narendra Modi cabinet within two years of joining politics was seen with scepticism. However, with his background in civil service and business, the tech-savvy minister has emerged as Modi's Man Friday when it comes to working for India's semiconductor ambitions
Abdul Haleem Sherif
A PLACE FOR THE CHIP

India’s efforts to enter the global semiconductor chip manufacturing domain got a shot in the arm this year when US-based chipmaking giant Micron Technology began the construction of its $2.75 billion semiconductor plant in Sanand in Gujarat.

While Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s followers hail him for his enthusiasm in trying to make India a global semiconductor manufacturing hub, the role of his trusted lieutenant, Union minister of electronics and information technology Ashwini Vaishnaw, has not gone unnoticed.

Vaishnaw is unlike most other Union ministers before him. When he took charge at the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) in July 2021, he had been a parliamentarian for barely two years. Neither did he have any ministerial experience, nor did he have much sway within the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). After all, he joined it only after receiving the Rajya Sabha nomination from Odisha in 2019. He was elected unopposed to the upper house, thanks to the support from the Biju Janata Dal.

Vaishnaw brought to the table at MeitY his decadeplus experience as a bureaucrat, coupled with his Ivy League pedigree and familiarity with global corporate structures. He completed M.Tech from IIT, Kanpur, and joined the Indian Administrative Service in 1994 as an Odisha cadre officer.

By 2003, he was walking in the highest corridors of power when he joined the office of then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee as a deputy secretary. Later, he took a hefty loan to pursue MBA at the Wharton Business School in the US. On his return to India, he exited civil service and took up top managerial roles in multinational corporations like General Electric and Siemens one after the other. Before eventually making his foray into politics, the Jodhpur-born engineer even had entrepreneurial stints in Gujarat.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة December 2023 من Outlook Business.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة December 2023 من Outlook Business.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

المزيد من القصص من OUTLOOK BUSINESS مشاهدة الكل
SHANKAR PRASAD
Outlook Business

SHANKAR PRASAD

C'EST LA VIE - MY FAVOURITE

time-read
1 min  |
December 2024
Star Plus
Outlook Business

Star Plus

Actor Keerthy Suresh's talents extend far beyond the silver screen. In a chat with Prachi Khanna, she talks about her growing interest in the world of investments - from real estate to tech to co-owning a cricket team

time-read
3 mins  |
December 2024
Shelter From the Storm
Outlook Business

Shelter From the Storm

Taking care of 500-plus homeless was only the first of the challenges; the 24-year-old social worker has done more since

time-read
3 mins  |
December 2024
Saying No to Jugaad
Outlook Business

Saying No to Jugaad

In India, people often rely on a quick-fix approach to manage the daily challenges of taking insulin shots. But a Gen-Z innovator has other ideas

time-read
3 mins  |
December 2024
Green Skills Champion
Outlook Business

Green Skills Champion

An unexpected career choice was the beginning of efforts to demystify the conversation around climate change and raise awareness

time-read
3 mins  |
December 2024
Force of Change
Outlook Business

Force of Change

An educator's journey that started in the municipal schools of Andheri West is helping bridge the learning gap among young students

time-read
3 mins  |
December 2024
An Appetite for Health
Outlook Business

An Appetite for Health

The 'food pharmer' has taken on some of the biggest names in the FMCG sector. His mission: to get consumers to read product labels

time-read
3 mins  |
December 2024
More Than Medals
Outlook Business

More Than Medals

India's success at the Paris Paralympics can inspire a new era of inclusivity

time-read
3 mins  |
December 2024
Checkmate
Outlook Business

Checkmate

A new generation of chess elite, backed by early mentorship and building on the wins of the previous generation, is cementing India's place at the top

time-read
3 mins  |
December 2024
On A Strong Wicket
Outlook Business

On A Strong Wicket

Team India has had a mixed month but a good year. This was the year Rohit Sharma and his boys brought the T20 World Cup back home

time-read
4 mins  |
December 2024