Bengaluru, March 6
After the opposition parties dubbed the ruling BJP's announcement regarding establishment of iPhone assembling unit by Foxconn in Bengaluru as a publicity stunt, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai released the letter of appreciation on Monday.
The appreciation letter, by Foxconn CEO Young Liu addressed to Bommai, describes the visit of the Foxconn team to Bengaluru a great success.
"My team would be in close contact with your team to take this forward and ensure successful grounding of 'Project Elephant' in Bengaluru. I am confident that this project will lay a strong foundation for our other multiple plans, spanning mechanical/precision machinery, electric vehicle, IC design and semiconductor segments to consider your state as a potential investment destination," Young Liu, Chairman of Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd (Foxconn Technology Group) stated.
The letter reads, "At the outset I would like to extend sincere gratitude towards you and your team for making our visit to Bengaluru a big success. Yourself, Minister for Higher Education, IT and BT, Minister for Large and Medium Industries, the chief secretary and other senior government of Karnataka officials and the broader team, all worked together to ensure that the multiple events and interactions planned through the day were conducted seamlessly and for maximum benefit of all stakeholders involved."
"We were welcomed at the airport by Dr. C.N. Ashwath Narayan, Minister for Higher Education. The visit began with a walkthrough of the world class new Terminal 2, recently inaugurated by Honorable Prime Minister Narendra Modi, followed by a detailed presentation by senior executives from Bengaluru Airport International Limited (BIAL) on cargo infrastructure and facilities at the airport. The efficiency of cargo handling at the airport does have a significant bearing on our operations and matrix as we rely on air freight for our multiple products to a considerable extent," Young Liu stated.
"We proceeded for a site visit at the proposed area, near the airport. Meeting Dr. Murugesh Nirani, Minister for Large and Medium Industries, during lunch, marked an important highlight during the day. Thereafter, led by Vandita Sharma, Chief Secretary, the senior officials made a presentation on three key pillars, essential for making 'Project Elephant' a grand success, at Vidhana Soudha. It was great to note the infrastructure readiness timelines, government of Karnataka's support for skilling and talent acquisition and the availability of social infrastructure around the region, where the plot is earmarked for the project," the letter said.
"The eventful day culminated with the detailed discussion over dinner with yourself. Your vision and drive to make Karnataka an attractive investment destination, particularly for electronics manufacturing, not just in India but on a global level, are laudable."
JD(S) leader and former CM H.D. Kumaraswamy had questioned the ruling BJP government to clarify whether the announcement regarding Foxconn by the Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai was a publicity stunt? Or, whether the MoU was signed at all?
Taking to social media, Kumaraswamy had maintained that the Karnataka BJP government has the policy of maximum publicity and zero result policy. This is their objective as well as the statement. The government is busy with publicity ads and it does not have any care towards welfare of people, development and generation of employment.
"Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and two other ministers took free publicity on Friday by stating that iPhone manufacturer Foxconn company from Taiwan has come to the state for investment. They held the signed letters in their hands stating the MoU had been signed and posed before the media," Kumaraswamy stated.
Earlier, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, claimed that the MoU with Foxconn is a big boost to India's Atmanirbhar Bharat ambitions and a testimony to Karnataka's success in drawing investments to the state in the electronics manufacturing and assembly segment.
"Hon Hai Technology Group (Foxconn) has announced a major investment in Karnataka. The 300 acres of land has been identified for this purpose near the Bengaluru International Airport, in Doddaballapura and Devanahalli taluks," Bommai had stated.
