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Industry bodies on Thursday welcomed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Centre and the Madhya Pradesh government to establish India's first Telecom Manufacturing Zone (TMZ) in Gwalior, a project expected to attract investments of up to Rs 9,000 crore and generate more than 10,000 jobs. 

The project would be developed over nearly 350 acres under a plug-and-play model, with the Centre providing Rs 500 crore as 100 per cent financial assistance for infrastructure development in the first phase.

Pankaj Mohindroo, Chairman, ICEA, said that “recognising that a globally competitive manufacturing ecosystem requires a highly skilled workforce, ICEA has assumed the responsibility of building the talent and innovation backbone of the TMZ by establishing a Centre of Excellence and Centre for Skilling."

“This will develop a pipeline of industry-ready engineers, technicians, and professionals while also strengthening the design and R&D capabilities of the zone. By creating a robust skills ecosystem aligned with industry requirements, ICEA will help build a sustainable talent pool for Madhya Pradesh, enabling the state to emerge as a leading destination for telecom manufacturing and innovation while reinforcing India's ambition to become a global telecom manufacturing hub,” he mentioned.

The MoU was signed between the Union Department of Telecommunications (DoT), and the Madhya Pradesh Department of Industries in the presence of Union Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav.

Scindia said the Telecom Manufacturing Zone would strengthen the Centre's vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat, Make in India, Digital India and Viksit Bharat 2047, while positioning Madhya Pradesh as a key telecom manufacturing hub.

He said the integrated manufacturing hub would include facilities for research, design, testing and production of mobile phones, telecom network equipment, fibre optics, semiconductors, and next-generation 5G and 6G technologies.