India opens Semicon 2.0 application portal for three programme areas

On 6 November 2026, Union Electronics and Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw launched the Semicon 2.0 application portal in New Delhi. Applicants can submit proposals under three of the programme’s six areas: machines and materials, additional semiconductor fabrication plants, and semiconductor assembly, testing and packaging. These cover inputs used to make chips, the facilities that make them, and work that prepares and tests them for use. The remaining programme areas are chip design, research and development, and talent development.

At the launch, the ministry also announced a new group of approvals under the Electronics Components Manufacturing Scheme. The 12 approvals cover projects in Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh. Projected investment is ₹7,503 crore. Approved products include multilayer printed circuit boards, copper foil and specialty ceramics. These were component scheme approvals announced alongside the opening of applications under the semiconductor programme.

Facts to remember

• Portal launch: 6 November 2026 in New Delhi; launched by Ashwini Vaishnaw.
• Applications opened under pillars 2, 3 and 4 of the six-pillar programme.
• The Union Cabinet approved Semicon 2.0 on 15 July 2026 with an outlay of ₹1,27,500 crore.
• The separate electronics components announcement covered 12 applications and ₹7,503 crore in projected investment.

Background

The India Semiconductor Mission supports the development of India’s chip design and manufacturing capabilities. The first phase of the Semicon India Programme approved 12 projects across six states. Semicon 2.0 builds on that programme and covers multiple stages of chip development, from design through fabrication and packaging.

Why it matters for exams

For CLAT Economy and Science, connect industrial incentives with the stages of chip production and distinguish a scheme’s budget from projected investment in approved projects.