Bengaluru, Nov 28: Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Monday that 99.2 per cent of the mobile phones used in the country are manufactured locally.

"The mobile manufacturing industry has crossed $44 billion worth," he underlined.

Speaking to reporters after visiting the Tata iPhone plant in Tamil Nadu's Hosur, Vaishnaw slammed the Opposition for "still thinking that the mobile phones used in the country are imported".

"They (Opposition) don't know that 99.2 per cent of the mobiles used here are manufactured in India. Presently, there are many cell phone manufacturing units in the country," he stated.

India has an ambitious goal to produce electronic goods worth more than $300 billion by 2025-26 and the manufacturers are encouraged by schemes and subsidies, the Union Minister said.

India is surpassing China in the production of mobiles and marching ahead, he underlined.

"Apple increased the production of its major iPhones in India last year. Cupertino Tech is contemplating raising the production in India to $40 billion in four to five years," Vaishnaw added

“In the last nine and half years, we have reached the stage of exporting electronic products. There is considerable progress in the semiconductor sector. Recently, Google announced that it will start producing Pixel smartphones here. This would prove to be a boost for India's ambition to emerge as a global manufacturing hub,” he elaborated.

Earlier, Vaishnaw visited and inspected the Yeshwantpur Railway station in Bengaluru and declared that it is going to emerge as a world-class station. Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya also joined the Union Minister to inspect the progress of the redevelopment of Yeshwantpur Railway Station, undertaken by the Central Government at a cost of Rs 366 crore.

"Yeshwantpur is a crucial transport hub in Bengaluru undergoing significant redevelopment aimed at transforming it into a world-class station. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision to integrate such stations into multi-modal transport hubs will go a long way in addressing rapid urbanization and population growth,” he said.

"The redevelopment is being carried out by keeping in mind the increased footfall in the coming decades and the integration of suburban rail. Once completed, it will also feature a roof plaza for recreational activities and showcasing local products. Glad to note that works are proceeding smoothly without causing hindrance to station operations," Surya said.

(IANS)

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