Rajnath Singh lays foundation of BrahMos unit, defence technology centre in Lucknow
Want to manufacture BrahMos missiles so that no country casts evil eye on us, says defence minister Rajnath Singh
Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday laid the foundation stone of the Defence Technology and Test Centre and BrahMos manufacturing centre that will be established by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in Lucknow.
Speaking on the occasion, Rajnath Singh said India wants to manufacture BrahMos missiles not to attack anyone, but to ensure that no other country has the audacity to cast an evil eye on it.
The Yogi Adityanath government has allocated 200-acre land for the project in Lucknow. The BrahMos Manufacturing Centre, announced by BrahMos Aerospace, is a modern, state-of-art facility in the Lucknow node of Defence Industrial Corridor, Uttar Pradesh.
The next generation BrahMos missiles will be manufactured here and this facility will be made operational in the next two-three years. Around 80-100 missiles will be manufactured at the Lucknow unit every year.
Rajnath Singh expressed confidence that the foundation laying of the two units would herald a new chapter in defence manufacturing of the country, the economy of Uttar Pradesh and the city of Lucknow.
He also said till date ₹1400 crore investment had been received in the Defence Corridor in Uttar Pradesh.
Stressing the need to maintain nuclear deterrence, he said, “We want to manufacture BrahMos on Indian soil so that no country has the audacity to cast an evil eye on India.” The missile is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead.
“It has never been the character of India to attack any other country or grab even an inch of land of any country,” he said.
Rajnath Singh also stated that India has attained a respectable position in areas of defence technologies, including the development of state-of-the-art missile systems in the last few years and has made commendable progress in building its defence industrial base.
He slammed Pakistan of carrying out terror attacks in the country.
“There is a neighbouring country. It got separated from India sometime back. I don’t know why its intentions vis-a-vis India are always bad. It committed acts of terrorism in Uri and Pulwama,” the defence minister said.
“And then our Prime Minister took a decision and we went to the soil of that country and destroyed terrorist hideouts and when there was a need for airstrikes, we did that successfully,” he said.
“We gave the message that if somebody dares to cast an evil eye on us, then not just on this side of the border, but we can go to the other side and hit them. This is India’s strength,” Rajnath added.
India carried out a surgical strike in September 2016 and cross-border strike in February 2019 in response to terror attacks in Uri and Pulwama.
The defence minister praised Yogi Adityanath for expediting land acquisition for the project.
“When I spoke to Yogiji and expressed the desire to establish this project, he did not take a second and said land will be made available at the earliest. I thank the chief minister for making 200 acres available in just one and a half months,” he said.
“This will provide jobs to people living in Lucknow and in UP. I can see that a new chapter has been added to the economy of Uttar Pradesh,” he added.
Rajnath Singh stated that action against mafias and improved law and order scenario in the state has made Uttar Pradesh favourite destination for companies in India and abroad.
Rajnath Singh, who represents Lucknow in Parliament, also said: “Uttar Pradesh is achieving new heights under chief minister Yogi Adityanath.”
Rajnath Singh also listed development works of the state government, including expressways, flyovers and roads.
“Before 2017, riots were common, criminals and mafias ruled the roost in the state. But today Uttar Pradesh’s law and order is being discussed in other states. ‘UP ki sarkar bhaut asardar’ is what others are saying,” said Rajnath Singh.
The defence minister talked about the Yogi Adityanath government’s drive against mafias.
“Bulldozers are busy and having a field day in Uttar Pradesh,” said Singh while pointing out demolition of mafia turned politician Atiq Ahmed’s establishments in Prayagraj.
On the occasion, Singh also pointed out effective rollout of all welfare schemes of the Modi government by Yogi Adityanath in the state.
Work has begun on six nodes of Defence Corridor in UP: Yogi
Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday said work had begun on all six nodes of the Defence Corridor in UP.
Foundation laying of two units (BrahMos and Defence Technology Testing Centre) is fulfilment of the vision of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ in the defence sector, Yogi Adityanath added.
The chief minister added that these units would provide avenues for employment for youth.
MSMEs have been promoted in the state in the last four and a half years, he further said.
“UP has a strong MSME base and it will become an export hub,” the chief minister said after defence minister laid the foundation stone for a BrahMos unit and a defence technology and test centre in Lucknow.
Yogi Adityanath also said 40 lakh (4 million) migrants returned to Uttar Pradesh during the pandemic and most of them were given jobs.
DRDO chairman G Satheesh Reddy thanked the defence minister and the chief minister for making land available for the BrahMos project in the state capital.