HYDERABAD: Industries and IT Minister KT Rama Rao wrote a letter on Tuesday to Union Defence Minister Nirmala Sitaraman making a strong pitch for Defence Industrial Production Corridor (DIPC) in the state.
Rama Rao outlined the various advantages Telangana state and its capital city Hyderabad has to establish the DIPC. Reminding that the fledgling state of Telangana needs all the support possible from Union government, Rama Rao exhorted the Union government to consider Telangana for setting up this corridor. He said the state has trained manpower and the proposed corridor would generate the much needed jobs for local youngsters. The Minister also stated that the Defence Industrial Production Corridor would boost the manufacturing sector in the state.
The Centre announced setting up of two DIPCs in the Union Budget 2018-19. While the first one was proposed between Chennai - Bengaluru and the second one in Bundelkhand.
Reacting to the Centre’s announcement, Rama Rao told Nirmala Sitaraman that Telangana is strategically located in the centre of the country and home to several public sector defence enterprises and DRDO labs including RCI, Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL), Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL), Defence Metallurgical Research Laboratory [DMRL], Mishra Dhatu Nigam Ltd. (MIDHANI), Nuclear Fuel Complex, Electronics Corporation India Limited (ECIL), Bharat Electronics, Ordinance Factory, CITD, BHEL etc.
“Several prestigious National Defence and Space programmes were supported by Telangana-based industries. The State is accessible from any part of the world thanks to the the state-of-the-art greenfield Rajiv Gandhi International Airport at Hyderabad which is consistently rated the top in its segment. The State has regional airports at Begumpet, Warangal and Ramagundam under Airports Authority of India and Dundigal and Hakimpet Airports managed by Airforce,” Rama Rao explained Sitaraman.
Rama Rao further said the State has identified aerospace and defence as a priority industry in its industrial policy and has two operational Aerospace Manufacturing Parks near Adibatla region, besides an aerospace park operated by GMR adjoining the international airport. The state is planning to set up a larger aerospace and Defence park in Eliminedu and create another aerospace cluster within the National Investments and manufacturing Zone (NIMZ) planned at Medak district. The State is also planning to set up a Defence incubator in Hyderabad with support from Central Government.
About 1,000 SMEs are working exclusively for Defence and Aerospace industry both for Indian and global industries in the state. They are mainly focusing on the areas of Mechanical, Electrical & Electronics, Avionic, Hydraulics, Composites, System Integration etc, he said.