Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman launched a series of projects that are a part of the Tamil Nadu Defence Industrial Corridor in Tiruchirppalli on 20 Jan, 2019.
Addressing the gathering, the Defence Minister spoke about the initiatives taken by the government for ensuring that the Indian industry can engage with Armed forces and co-create the best in defence technologies through the flagship program of ‘Make in India’.
Ms Sitharaman also stated that development of these corridors will not only help in accelerated growth and regional industry agglomeration, but will also facilitate a well-planned and efficient industrial base which will lead to increased defence production in the country and the region. It will also support the industry to integrate with the global supply chain of defence manufacturing.
Over 500 industry representatives coming from different parts of the state attended the event. Ministers, senior officials of Tamil Nadu Government, senior officials from Ministry of Defence, Defence Public Sector Undertakings, Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) and Ordnance Factory Board were also present during the event.
Chennai, Hosur, Salem, Coimbatore and Tiruchirappalli will be the nodes of the Tamil Nadu Defence Industrial Corridor. Dr.Ajay Kumar, Defence Production Secretary stated that the corridor is expected to be a specialised facility of aero component manufacturing. The potential corridor will witness a huge amount of investment, where Ordnance Factory Board has already announced investment of INR 2305 crores in the corridor.
In a statement, Defence Ministry said that the nodes of the corridor offers perfect ecosystem for defence manufacturing as major public sector companies like BHEL, Ordnance Factory and Railway workshops function in the region. It will be the country’s 2nd defence industrial corridor. First one is at Uttar Pradesh and was inaugurated in the last year.
