Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Spanish counterpart Pedro Sanchez on Monday inaugurated the Tata-Airbus aircraft facility in Vadodara, Gujarat. Ahead of the inauguration, the duo held a mega road show in Vadodara.
PM Modi remembers late Ratan Tata
"Recently, we lost the country's great son Ratan Tata ji. If he had been among us today, he would have been happy, but wherever his soul is, he would be happy. This C-295 aircraft factory reflects the new work culture of New India. When I was the Gujarat CM, it was decided to set up a factory in Vadodara to build train coaches. The factory was also prepared for production within a record time. Today, we are exporting the metro coaches manufactured in that factory to other countries. I am confident that in the future, the aircraft made in this factory will also be exported to other countries," PM Modi said while addressing the event.
"In the last 5-6 years, 1000 new defence startups have come up in India. In the last ten years, the defence exports of India increased by 30 times. Today, we export defence equipment to more than 100 countries. Today, we are focusing on skill and job creation in the country. Thousands of jobs will be created from this factory of the Airbus and Tata," he added.
The Tata Advanced Systems facility is India's first private sector final assembly line for military aircraft. As many as 40 aircraft will be built in the facility as part of an agreement, while aviation behemoth Airbus will deliver 16 aircraft directly. The two leaders will later hold a bilateral meeting at the historic Laxmi Vilas Palace.
India's first private sector plant for military aircraft
"Tata Advanced Systems Ltd is responsible for making these 40 aircrafts in India. This facility will be the first private sector Final Assembly Line (FAL) for military aircraft in India. It will involve the full development of a complete ecosystem from the manufacture to assembly, test and qualification, to delivery and maintenance of the complete lifecycle of the aircraft," a statement released by the government read.
Apart from Tatas, leading defence public sector units such as Bharat Electronics Ltd. and Bharat Dynamics Ltd, as well as private Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises will contribute to this programme, it added.
Earlier in October 2022, Prime Minister had laid the foundation stone for the Vadodara Final Assembly Line (FAL).
PM to inaugurate Bharat Mata Sarovarin project
Prime Minister is also scheduled to inaugurate the Bharat Mata Sarovar in Dudhala, Amreli. This project was developed through a collaboration between the Government of Gujarat and the Dholakia Foundation under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model. Dholakia Foundation improved a check dam, which originally, the dam could hold 4.5 crore litres of water but after deepening, widening, and reinforcing it, the capacity has increased to 24.5 crore litres. This improvement has raised water levels in nearby wells and bores which will help local villages and farmers by providing better irrigation.
In a public function, PM Modi will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of projects worth around Rs 4,900 crore at Amreli. These projects will benefit the citizens of Amreli, Jamnagar, Morbi, Devbhoomi Dwarka, Junagadh, Porbandar, Kachchh, and Botad districts of the state.
PM to lay foundation of other development projects
He will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone for various road projects worth more than Rs 2,800 crores. Projects to be inaugurated include four-laning of various sections of NH 151, NH 151A and NH 51 and the Junagadh bypass. The foundation stone for the four-laning project of the remaining section from the Dhrol bypass in Jamnagar district to Amran in Morbi district will also be laid.
Prime Minister will dedicate to the nation the Bhuj-Naliya Rail Gauge Conversion Project, completed at a cost of around Rs 1,100 crores. This extensive project features 24 major bridges, 254 minor bridges, 3 road overbridges and 30 road underbridges, and will play a crucial role in enhancing the socio-economic development of the Kachchh district.
Prime Minister will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone for various development projects worth over Rs 700 crore of the water supply department from Amreli district. Projects to be inaugurated include the Navda to Chavand bulk pipeline which will provide an additional 28 crore litres of water to approximately 67 lakh beneficiaries across 36 cities and 1,298 villages of Botad, Amreli, Junagadh, Rajkot, and Porbandar districts. The foundation stone of Pasavi Group Augmentation Water Supply Scheme Phase 2 in Bhavnagar district will also be laid which will benefit 95 villages in the Mahuva, Talaja, and Palitana talukas, in Bhavnagar district.
Prime Minister will also lay the foundation stone for tourism-related development initiatives which includes transforming the Karli Recharge Reservoir at Mokarsagar in Porbandar district into a world-class sustainable eco-tourism destination, among others.
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