BENGALURU: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will dedicate to the nation the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited’s (HAL) new greenfield helicopter factory at Bidarehallakaval at Nittur near Tumakuru in Karnataka at 3.30 pm on Monday. He had laid the foundation stone for the project in 2016. But there will be no fly-past at the event as certain parameters are yet to be met, sources said.
According to the Prime Minister’s Office, it is yet another step towards Atma Nirbharta in the defence sector which will enhance capacity and ecosystem to build helicopters at Asia’s largest helicopter manufacturing facility. Initially, the unit will manufacture the Light Utility Helicopter (LUH), which is an indigenously designed and developed 3-tonne class, single-engine, multipurpose utility helicopter with unique features of high manoeu-vrability.
PM to lay foundation stones for Jal Jeevan projects
The factory, spread across 615 acres, will be expanded to manufacture other choppers, like the Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) and Indian Multirole Helicopter (IMRH). The facility will also be used for repair and overhaul of LCH, LUH, Civil ALH and IMRH in the future.
The factory has the potential to export Civil LUHs in years to come. The new facility can meet the country’s entire requirement of helicopters, and will attain the distinction of enabling self-reliance in helicopter design, development and manufacture in the country. The factory will have a manufacturing setup of Industry 4.0 standards.
Over the next 20 years, HAL is planning to produce more than 1,000 helicopters in 3-15 tonne class here, generating employment for around 6,000 people. On the occasion, Modi will lay the foundation stone for the Tumakuru Industrial Township under the National Industrial Corridor Development Programme, spread across 8,484 acres to be implemented in three phases as part of the Chennai-Bengaluru Industrial Corridor.
The foundation stones will also be laid for two Jal Jeevan Mission projects at Tiptur and Chikkanayakanahalli as part of Multi-Village Drinking Water Supply Project, to be built at a cost of Rs 430 crore and Rs 115 crore, respectively.
Modi at India Energy Week 2023
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the India Energy Week 2023 at BIEC in Bengaluru at 11.30 am on Monday. Unleashing the ethanol blending roadmap, he will launch E20 fuel and flag off a Green Mobility Rally to create awareness for green fuels. He will also launch the uniforms under the ‘unbottled’ initiative of Indian Oil.