Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh laid the foundation stone of BrahMos missiles production unit and Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) lab in Lucknow on Saturday.
Earlier in the day, the UP Chief Minister said, Uttar Pradesh will become a defence production hub and BrahMos missile will be manufactured in Lucknow which will lead to the creation of new employment opportunities for youth.
Rajnath Singh said that India is manufacturing Brahmos missiles not to attack any country but to ensure that no other country dares to raise an eye towards India. The Defence Minister said, “We are manufacturing missiles not to attack any nation. In history, we have never encroached on any neighbouring country land or invaded any nation. We want to manufacture Brahmos just to ensure that no nations with ill intentions dare to attack India and we proved our deterrence power in Uri and Pulwama.”
He stated that the defence manufacturing units will add a new chapter to the economy of UP and create job opportunities in the state. “Before 2017, businessmen from outside UP were scared to invest in UP but now UP has become one of the best states where businessmen want to come. In the shortest time, four expressways were constructed and various other development projects were delivered in UP,” he said.
“Investors are coming as UP CM has ended Mafia raj in the state and established rule of law,” he said.
He congratulated and thanked Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for ensuring the acquisition of 200 acres of land in just 45 days for the Brahmos missile manufacturing centre.
A first of its kind Defence Technologies & Test Centre (DTTC), over approximately 22 acres is being set up to accelerate the growth of the defence and aerospace manufacturing clusters in Uttar Pradesh Defence Industrial Corridor (UP DIC).
The Brahmos Manufacturing Centre, announced by BrahMos Aerospace, is a modern, state-of-art facility in the Lucknow node of UP DIC. It will cover over 200 acres and produce the new Brahmos-NG (Next Generation) variant, which carries forward the lineage of the Brahmos weapons system. This new centre would be ready over the next two to three years and will commence production at a rate of 80-100 Brahmos-NG missiles per year.
On the “Defence Technology and Test Centre”, the Defence Minister said, “The Centre will provide the technological base to develop defence products keeping in mind the young innovators and startups in Amausi region of Uttar Pradesh.”
“It will help in bringing the MSMEs of Uttar Pradesh together and bring the state at the forefront in the field of defence and aerospace manufacturing. The Centre, through skill development, will create direct and indirect employment in the field of defence and aerospace manufacturing.”
DRDO Chief Dr G. Satheesh Reddy and other office bearers were also present during the ceremony.