Tata Group will start making Apple iPhones in India for domestic and global markets within two and a half years, announced Electronics and Technology Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar today. The development underscores India’s growing production prowess and reflects a significant departure from Apple’s previous strategy of selling mostly Chinese-made new devices to frenzied customers across the world. With this, the group will become India’s first homegrown iPhone maker.

“@GoI_MeitY stands fully in support in growth of Global Indian Electronics companies that will in turn support global Electronic brands that want to make India their trusted manufacturing and talent partner and to realize PM’s goal of making India a global electronics power,” Mr Chandrasekhar posted on X, formerly Twitter.

PM @narendramodi Ji’s visionary PLI scheme has already propelled India into becoming a trusted & major hub for smartphone manufacturing and exports.

Now within just two and a half years, @TataCompanies will now start making iPhones from India for domestic and global markets from… pic.twitter.com/kLryhY7pvL

— Rajeev Chandrasekhar ?? (@Rajeev_GoI) October 27, 2023

The group has acquired the operations of Apple supplier Wistron Corp which announced the development in a board meeting today for about $125 million, according to a company statement. The Union Minister also thanked Wistron for “building a global supply chain from India with Indian companies at its helm”.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s financial incentives to boost local manufacturing and Apple’s strategy to look beyond China amid a Washington-Beijing trade war have helped India become increasingly important to the iPhone maker’s diversification drive.

“PM Modi Ji’s visionary PLI scheme has already propelled India into becoming a trusted and major hub for smartphone manufacturing and exports,” Mr Chandrasekhar said.

The PLI (production-linked incentive) scheme – which aims at boosting domestic manufacturing, creating jobs and supporting exports – was announced in 2021 for 14 sectors, including large-scale electronic manufacturing, white goods, textiles, manufacturing of medical devices, automobiles, specialty steel, food products, high-efficiency solar PV modules, advanced chemistry cell battery, drones and pharmaceuticals with an outlay of Rs 1.97 lakh crore.

Earlier this year, Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said that Apple exported $5 billion (roughly Rs. 41,200 crore) worth of goods from India in 2022, while stating that the company plans to produce 25 per cent of global units in the country within the next four to five years.

The takeover of the Wistron Corp factory in Karnataka by India’s largest conglomerate has capped about a year of negotiations.

The 150-year-old group – which sells everything from salt to tech services – sought to make inroads into electronics production and e-commerce over the past few years.

The company already makes iPhone chassis, or the metal backbone of the device, at its factory spread over hundreds of acres of land in Tamil Nadu.

The Bar Council of India has revised the schedule for the All India Bar Examination-18 (AIBE 18).

As per the revised schedule, the online registration will now close on  November 10, 2023. The last date of payments through online mode for the exam is November 11, 2023.

The previous deadline to submit the registrations was November 4. The last date for correction in  registration form is November 12, 2023. 

The admit cards will be released from November 25, 2023 to November 30, 2023. 

The examination has been scheduled for December 3,2023. The exam was previously set for November 26.

The council also mentioned in the notification that the passing percentage in the exam is fixed at 45% for General  /OBC candidates and at 40% for SC/ST and specially abled candidates.

All India Bar Examination is certification exam conducted twice a year by Bar Council of India for law graduates who wish to start practice of profession as Lawyer. The exam is conducted in 50 cities having 140 centres as an open book exam. The exam is conducted to assess basic level knowledge of a member and lay down minimum benchmark for entering into practice of law in addition to assessing candidate’s analytical skills. 

Steps to apply for the AIBE 18 exam
Step 1: Go to the official website
Step 2: On the homepage, click on AIBE 18 registration link.
Step 3: You will be redirected to a new page, enter your email ID to log in.
Step 4: Fill out the AIBE 18 registration form by entering all the necessary details.
Step 5: Upload the specified documents, and pay the examination fee via online mode.
Step 6: Submit the form and take a printout of it.

IGP Pramod Kumar appears before Coimbatore court in connection with extortion case