LUCKNOW: The Uttar Pradesh government signed 23 Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) of worth Rs 50,000 crore with different firms during the ongoing DefExpo-2020 here on Friday. Confirming the signing of MoUs by UP Industrial and Expressway Development Authority (UPIEDA) on behalf of UP government, CM Yogi Adityanath said that the deals would open new employment opportunities for over 3
lakh youth in the state.
The Chief Minister said that those deals were signed during 'Bandhan' programme of Defence Expo-2020. Ministry of Defence has made an emotional connect through those deals and naming the MoU signing programme as 'Bandhan'. All the MoUs signed under Bandhan programme deal with defence production, research and its development, said the CM.
The CM also claimed that his government had taken concrete strides towards the development of UP defence Corridor during the last 2 years. In the field of defence production, large industries, small scale, and micro industries were also engaged in Uttar Pradesh. "We have not only formulated a defence aerospace policy in UP but have also prepared a policy of different focus centres in the state thus increasing the possibilities of investment," the Chief Minister said.
Elaborating further, CM Yogi said investment of over Rs 2.5 lakh crore had come to the state during the last 2.5 years. “It will directly help in providing employment to over 33 lakh people.”
On UP defence Corridor, the CM said that out of the six nodes of the Corridor, land bank at Aligarh and Jhansi was booked. “Now we have lands available in four nodes. We will build industrial clusters along the Purvanchal Expressway, Bundelkhand Expressway and Ganga Expressway,” he added.
While signing the MoUs, the CM assured all the entrepreneurs that their investment would be safe and Uttar Pradesh would set new benchmark in the field of defence production.
Meanwhile, speaking on the occasion, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh hoped that the deals signed would not only help in taking India's defence research and industry forward but would also make a major contribution in the development of the state.
He said that the total agreement with Public Sector Undertakings, Foreign Equipment Manufacturers and other private companies during the Defence Expo has created a record by signing 200 agreements. Meanwhile, Rafale vendor Thales and Kanpur-based defence manufacturer MKU on Friday announced the co-development of the ELFIE Night Vision Device (NVD) for the armed forces in India and across the world.
With this announcement on sidelines of the ongoing DefExpo 2020 here, the two companies further strengthened the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed in 2018 for strategic co-operation on developing optronic devices. The collaboration involves co-development of these devices at MKU’s facility in Kanpur.