"Misquoted...": Union Minister Kumaraswamy clarifies his remarks over job creation, says semiconductor industry strategic for India

Bengaluru: Union Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises, HD Kumaraswamy on Saturday clarified that he was misquoted on his purported remarks regarding the US semiconductor firm Micron.
"Semiconductor is a strategic industry. It is a basic requirement for electronics and automobile manufacturing. Both these sectors generate lots of employment. I greatly appreciate the semiconductor related initiatives taken by @PMOIndia and will work towards fulfilling them through my ministry, Kumaraswamy said in a post on social media platform X.
This comes in the wake of a media report published on June 14 in which he purportedly questions the necessity of investments like the USD 2.5 billion semiconductor unit by US-based Micron Technology in Gujarat, which could receive subsidies amounting to Rs 3.2 crore per job created.
"Bringing the semiconductor sector to India is strategic; we require it. Parallelly, we have to create jobs for the second-line sector, our small-scale industry. We are thinking about it and working on it. I have been misquoted. I have not mentioned any state. Why has my statement been picked up like this? I have to be very cautious in the future," Kumaraswamy said.
Kumaraswamy took charge as the Union Minister for Heavy Industries on June 11 and was allocated the Steel Ministry portfolio.
He took to his platform X to write, "Signed the first file after assuming office as Union Minister of Steel. It is related to my home state Karnataka. The first file of KIOCL Limited was signed for the operation of the Devadari iron ore mine. Shri Nagendra Nath Sinha, Secretary, Ministry of Steel was present."
Earlier today, he submitted his resignation as an MLA after being elected as an MP from Mandya in the recently held Lok Sabha elections.
On Friday, Kumaraswamy who was the former chief minister of Karnataka held a massive roadshow in Bengaluru to mark his first major public event since the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) secured victory the State in the Lok Sabah elections.