Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said on Saturday said that the Uttar Pradesh Defense Industrial Corridor (UPDIC) will not only manufacture “nuts and bolts" but will also make BrahMos missiles, drones and electronic warfare systems. India, which has been an importer of defense equipment, is soon going to make its own place on the world map. The Center is working fast on the Defense Corridor Project. Under this, defense corridors are being developed in Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.
‘Not only nuts and bolts or spare parts’
"What is important is that in the UP defence corridor, not only nuts and bolts or spare parts will be manufactured, (but) drones, UAVs, electronic warfare (systems), aircraft and BrahMos missiles will also be manufactured and assembled," Singh told a gathering at an event in Lucknow on "Atmanirbhar Bharat," said Singh.
The Uttar Pradesh Defence Industrial Corridor (UPDIC) is an aspirational project that intends to reduce the dependence of the Indian aerospace and defence sectors on foreign suppliers. The minister said an "enabling" environment has been prepared for defence manufacturing through defence corridors in Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.
"I have been told that for this corridor, the land which is planned to be acquired is around 1,700 hectares. Of this, more than 95 per cent of land has already been acquired. Of this, 36 industries and institutions have been allotted nearly 600 hectares of land. Also, 109 Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) have been signed, with an estimated investment value of more than Rs 16,000 crore,” he said.
Rs 2,500 crore investment for UPDIC
He further said that so far, an investment of about Rs 2,500 crore has been made in the UPDIC by various entities. The UPDIC took off to an encouraging start with the announcement of investments worth over Rs 3,700 crore in defence production at a meet organised in Aligarh in 2018.
The Uttar Pradesh Defence Industrial Corridor is being set up by the Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA). It consists of six nodal points - Agra, Aligarh, Chitrakoot, Jhansi, Kanpur and Lucknow - with the potential to develop defence industries in the corridor. The Tamil Nadu Defence Corridor consists of five nodal points - Chennai, Coimbatore, Hosur, Salem and Tiruchirappalli.
‘Self-reliance is not an option, but a necessity’
Singh said that self-reliance was not an option but a necessity in the fast-changing global scenario. "In the fast-changing world, self-reliance is not an option for us, but it is a necessity," he said, adding the government is ensuring the country's self-reliance in every sector, especially defence as it is directly related to the country's security.
"During the 1971 war, when we needed equipment the most we were refused. We had to look for alternatives. I don't want to take the names of the countries that refused our request," he said addressing an event on "Atmanirbhar Bharat".
The defence minister said the Kargil War of 1999 saw a similar story. "During the Kargil war, when our armed forces felt a strong need for equipment, those countries were imparting us lessons of peace. Those who traditionally used to supply us weapons, they too refused," Singh said. "Hence, we do not have any option than strengthening ourselves," he said.
(With PTI inputs)
