Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch 34 private sector defence manufacturing projects totalling Rs 3,500 crore in Uttar Pradesh on February 16.
These projects will come up in the Uttar Pradesh Defence Industrial Corridor (UPDIC), which spans six nodes including Kanpur, Agra, Lucknow, Jhansi, Aligarh and Chitrakoot districts.
Modi is slated to participate in a mega groundbreaking ceremony (GBC) to launch projects, mostly private sector, with consolidated investment pipeline of Rs 10 trillion in the state.
Since the PM is a strong votary of consolidating India’s position in defence manufacturing, and becoming a net exporter of military ware, these projects are aimed at bolstering his vision.
According to a government spokesperson, competitive incentives under the UP Defence and Aerospace Units and Employment Promotion Policy and creation of infrastructure had so far resulted in garnering 114 investment intents in defence manufacturing with proposed investment of Rs 24,510 crore.
The UPDIC is witnessing significant progress, attracting investments and demonstrating commitment to make India ‘Atmanirbhar’ (self-reliant) in the defence and aerospace sector.
Among companies which have proposed investment in Corridor include BrahMos Aerospace and Areolloy Technologies at Lucknow; Bharat Dynamics, Armoured Vehicles Nigam Limited, Tata Technologies, Global Engineers, and WB Electronics India at Jhansi; Adani Defence Systems & Technologies, Ananth Technologies and Genser Aerospace at Kanpur; Anchor Research Labs LLP and Amitec Electronics at Aligarh.
The state has already created a mammoth land bank of 1,645 hectares in the six nodes of the Corridor.
In February 2018, Modi had announced the establishment of UPDIC to boost the country’s target of becoming self-reliant in defence and security requirements.
The defence ministry launched the Defence Testing Infrastructure Scheme with an outlay of Rs 400 crore for creating modern testing infrastructure in partnership with private industries. A grant-in-aid of Rs 117 crore has been approved for three defence testing facilities in Kanpur and Lucknow.
Meanwhile, UP State Industrial Development Authority (UPSIDA) is catalysing the logistics sector to feed the manufacturing sector.
UPSIDA is the state’s nodal agency for policy implementation in the logistics and warehousing sector. Nearly 16 projects of Rs 1,000 crore have been sanctioned under the UP Warehousing and Logistics Policy covering warehouses, dry ports, logistics parks, and other logistics units.
Additionally, projects worth Rs 1,600 crore are in pipeline across various districts viz. Lucknow, Unnao, Gautam Buddha Nagar (Noida), Mathura, Meerut, Gorakhpur etc.
UPSIDA said these projects will help in achieving UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath’s vision of becoming a $trillion economy by directly contributing to the state’s coffers.