Virendra Singh Rawat / Lucknow
Uttar Pradesh Defence Corridor, which is positioned to make India self reliant in military ware, has logged investment of nearly Rs 21,000 crore.
Considering the importance of the ‘Make in India’ infrastructure project in the geopolitics of South Asia and beyond, UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath has directed officials to expedite the pending investment proposals in the Corridor even as he warned against slackness and red tapism.
“Leading national and international companies have lined up investment in the UP Defence Corridor, which is playing a vital role in making India a global defence manufacturing hub,” Adityanath said adding, so far investment to the tune of Rs 21,000 crore has been injected.
The UP Corridor comprises six nodes viz. Lucknow, Kanpur, Jhansi, Aligarh, Chitrakoot and Agra. Nodal agency UP Expressway Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA) has acquired more than 1,600 hectares of land for allotment to the private companies.
India, which is among the top defence ware importers in the world, eyes about $5 billion exports in defence manufacturing in near future. The two defence corridors in UP and another in Tamil Nadu are cogs in the Centre’s action plan to achieve this goal
Among the prominent UP Defence Corridor projects is the Indo-Russian joint venture of BrahMos missile project in Lucknow. BrahMos is a joint venture between India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) Russia’s NPOM to develop next generation supersonic missiles for the Indian forces.
Bharat Dynamics is making investment in the Jhansi node, while Adani Group plans to develop an integrated ammunition facility spanning 250 acres. For the Rs 1,500 crore project, Adani Defence & Aerospace signed an agreement with UPEIDA.
To boost the prospects of the state defence manufacturing landscape, the UP government roped in former Air Chief Marshal R K S Bhadauria as the Chief Nodal Officer of the UP Defence Corridor.
Besides, the state has been proactively making efforts to on board anchor players and innovative startups to foster the UP defence manufacturing ecosystem and develop a supply chain for maximising the potential of the Corridor.
The state amended the UP Defence and Aerospace Employment Promotion Policy to woo the private sector to invest either as a standalone company or by forming a joint venture entity.
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“With a rapidly growing startup ecosystem, UP today offers immense opportunities for angel investors and venture capitalists to promote startups in the defense and aerospace value chain,” a government official said.