Defence Expo in Lucknow will be biggest so far: Rajnath

Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday said the Defence Expo- 2020 to be held for the first time in Uttar Pradesh (Lucknow) from February 5 to 8 will be the biggest

Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday said the Defence Expo- 2020 to be held for the first time in Uttar Pradesh (Lucknow) from February 5 to 8 will be the biggest in the country in terms of participation of exhibitors, the area of the exhibition and the revenue to be earned.

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Singh reviewed the preparations for the Defence Expo along with chief minister Yogi Adityanath.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Defence Expo-2020 on February 5. The theme of the expo is ‘India: The Emerging Defence Manufacturing Hub’.

Later, addressing a joint press conference with the chief minister, Singh said the Defence Expo will be a historic event for Uttar Pradesh and the state will soon become an important destination for defence equipment as well as aerospace manufacturing, he said.

The previous Defence Expo in Chennai in 2018 was held over a 80-acre area whereas the Defence Expo in Lucknow will be organised over a 200-acre area.

In Chennai, 702 exhibitors had participated in the event whereas in Lucknow 925 exhibitors, including 150 foreign companies had already registered for participation, Singh said.

The defence ministers and army chiefs of 25 countries will participate in the programme, he said.

Singh said while 40 MoUs were signed with various defence equipment manufacturing companies in Chennai, 65 MoUs will be signed with the Indian and foreign defence companies at the Lucknow expo.

An invitation was extended to 135 countries and 70 countries confirmed their participation, he added.

Top defence manufacturers from the United States, Russia, South Korea, the United Kingdom, France, Sweden and the Czech Republic are likely to participate in the Defence Expo.

‘Digital transformation in the aerospace and defence sector will be the central theme of Defence Expo-2020. It will focus on bringing to the forefront digital advances in the industry and provide a platform for drivers of such transformation to come together, he said.

To woo defence manufacturers, the government had organised road shows in eight countries as well as across the country.

Chief minister Yogi Adityanath said the Defence Expo will lead to the development of Uttar Pradesh and help in creating more employment opportunities in the state.

Preparations for the mega event were in full swing in Lucknow, the chief minister said.

The Uttar Pradesh Defence Industrial Corridor announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the UP Investors’ Summit in February 2018 had set the tone for investment in the defence sector, he said.

The government was expecting investment in the major nodes of the corridor — Aligarh, Jhansi, Kanpur, Agra, Chitrakoot and Lucknow, he said.

A defence planning committee had also been formed, he said.

During the review meeting, Singh released a teaser film which will be aired on different platforms to provide an introduction of the Defence Expo in the run-up to the event.

Senior officials from the ministry of defence said the show will have numerous attractions, including live demonstrations by the services at the exhibition site and at the Gomti riverfront.

The ‘India Pavilion’ will exclusively showcase the joint venture between the public and private sectors, including small and medium enterprises (smes)/micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and innovation eco-system, which is the key way forward.

Rajnath Singh had launched the Defence Expo app on December 27, 2019. The main features of the app are to ‘inform, engage and feedback’. It provides detailed information about the day-to-day events; participating exhibitors, seminars and public sectors units, maps and directions of the venues and city weather.

UP industrial development Minister, Satish Mahana and senior officers, including defence secretary Ajay Kumar, special secretary (defence production) Barun Mitra, additional chief secretary, UP, Awanish Kumar Awasthi, joint secretary, ministry of defence, Chandrakar Bharti were present at the review meeting.