Fast-track task force to meet on Jan 28 to discuss about Nokia plant revival

Department of electronics and telecommunication, commerce, revenue, and government of Tamil Nadu officials to attend

The fast-track task force formed by the Centre to revive the mobile manufacturing ecosystem is scheduled to have a meeting on January 28, where it is expected to discuss the revival of the mobile handset manufacturing unit which was earlier run by Finnish electronics manufacturer Nokia, in Sriperumbudur, near Chennai.

A high-level team of the task force, headed by its chairman Pankaj Mohindroo, also the national president of Indian Cellular Association, has confirmed the development. He, however, was not available for further comments immediately.

The meeting will be attended by department of electronics and telecommunication, department of commerce and department of revenue, representatives from Tamil Nadu government and others.

Earlier in August last year, the task forced requested the Tamil Nadu government to set up a similar committee of the state government to help restart the now- defunct Nokia plant at Sriperumpudur as well as to revive the electronic manufacturing ecosystem in the state. 

The meeting scheduled later this week is a follow up of the earlier meeting.

It also asked the Tamil Nadu government to announce a package for the revival of Nokia plant as the state is the highest stakeholder in the issue.

Nokia, once an iconic mobile handset maker, in 2014 decided to shut down its plant at Sriperumbudur, near Chennai.

The company said it decided to stop production at its Chennai plant from November 1, 2014 in the absence of orders from its new parent firm (Microsoft), which terminated the mobile purchase agreement.

It may be noted, global software major Microsoft Finland-based Nokia's global devices and services business, including assets in India for $7.2 billion on April 25, 2015. The company decided to suspend manufacturing handsets from its Chennai plant though it could not take possession of it due to legal battles over a tax notice from the Tamil Nadu government and the Supreme Court. The government has put a freeze on Nokia's assets due to a tax dispute over an estimated Rs 23,000 crore. 

Following this, the state government has also slapped a tax demand notice for around Rs 2,400 crore.

The factory employed around 8,000 people directly.