From tribal heartlands to semiconductor manufacturing
For Poonam Kumari, Priyanka Dhanwar and Shivani Uikey, working at a semiconductor manufacturing plant in Gujarat once seemed far removed from life in their tribal
For Poonam Kumari, Priyanka Dhanwar and Shivani Uikey, working at a semiconductor manufacturing plant in Gujarat once seemed far removed from life in their tribal hometowns. After studying at Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) and undergoing specialised training in Malaysia, they are now among the machine operators at CG Semi’s Outsourced Semiconductor Assembly and Test (OSAT) facility in Sanand, where commercial production of semiconductor chips was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday. The three women describe a journey marked by several firsts. Ms. Kumari, from Jharkhand’s Giridih district, had never travelled outside her State before being selected for overseas training. Dhanwar, from West Singhbhum, became the first person in her family to travel abroad, while Ms. Uikey, from Madhya Pradesh’s Balaghat district, recalled her parents breaking into tears when they saw what she had achieved.
Training in Malaysia was initially unfamiliar, they said, but instructors helped them understand the manufacturing process through Hindi explanations and practical demonstrations, enabling them to master semiconductor production techniques. Addressing the inauguration, Mr. Modi referred to the young women from the tribal belts of Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh who had guided him through the plant. “They explained every stage of semiconductor manufacturing with confidence, enthusiasm and technical knowledge. These daughters come from ordinary families, studied in ordinary schools and received their education at ITIs, but today they are carrying out work in one of the world’s most advanced technology sectors,” he said. The Prime Minister said perceptions about vocational education had changed and noted that many of the women were the first in their families to obtain passports and travel overseas.
“Many of them had never even visited Delhi or Mumbai. Today, they have travelled to Malaysia for advanced training, learnt semiconductor technology and are contributing to the manufacture of ‘Made in India’ semiconductor chips,” he said. Kumari, who lost her father a few years ago, said the support provided during the overseas training helped her and her colleagues adapt quickly. “Whenever we found it difficult to understand anything, the trainers explained it to us in Hindi and also through practical demonstrations, which made the learning process much easier,” she said. For Ms. Dhanwar, becoming the first member of her family to travel abroad marked a turning point, while Ms. Uikey said seeing their daughters succeed filled their parents with pride.
The BriefWire