Devanahalli-made iPhones by April 2024: Govt

Taiwanese giant Foxconn wants to start making Apple iPhones at its Devanahalli facility by April 1, 2024, the state government said on Thursday.

Foxconn will be given possession of 300 acres of land at the Information Technology Investment Region (ITIR) in Devanahalli before July 1, Industries Minister MB Patil said.

A Foxconn delegation led by representative George Chu met Patil and IT/BT Minister Priyank Kharge for talks.

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This was the first step by the new Congress government to take forward the Foxconn project approved by the previous BJP administration. The project promises to create 50,000 jobs with an investment of Rs 13,600 crore, up from the earlier stated Rs 8,000 crore.

The company will require 50 lakh litres of water daily at the facility. Apart from meeting this, the government will ensure quality power supply, road connectivity and infrastructure, Patil said.

The company has also sought skilled human resources. The government will focus on training eligible candidates for skills to supply human resources, the minister said.

Foxconn proposes to get its facility up and running in three phases. The company wants to manufacture two crore mobile phones at the facility. According to the government, the company has already paid up 30 per cent (Rs 90 crore) of the land cost to the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB).

The state government has codenamed the Foxconn initiative as Project Elephant.

"Huge boost for Karnataka with Foxconn’s Project Elephant. They will set up an iPhone assembly plant with an investment of $1.7 billion and generate 50,000 jobs...the proposed annual capacity up to 20 million smartphone units per annum," Priyank said in a tweet.

The Foxconn project was approved by the State High Level Clearance Committee (SLHCC) in March.

Earlier in the day, Jubilant FoodWorks executive vice-president Amardeep Singh Ahluwalia, FICCI Karnataka Council chairperson K Ullas Kamat, FICCI Karnataka Council head Shaju Mangalam and CII Karnataka Council chairperson Vijaykrishnan Venkatesan met Patil.