BHUBANESWAR: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Tuesday made a strong pitch for setting up another modern defence manufacturing unit in Odisha, citing the rapid expansion of the state’s metal downstream, semiconductor and IT sectors and their potential to support the defence industry.
Speaking at the foundation-laying ceremony for the second manufacturing line for Shakti engines at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited’s (HAL) Koraput division in Sunabeda, the CM said the state government is committed to developing Odisha as a major industrial and defence hub and stressed the importance of indigenous technology and self-reliance in the sector.
Majhi said the HAL division had made an exceptional contribution to the country’s security over the past six decades. The inauguration of the second Shakti engine production line and the symbolic handover of the 2,000th engine to the Indian Air Force marked India’s growing defence capabilities, he said.
He highlighted the proposed 870-acre Odisha Silicon Valley at Naraj and semiconductor projects such as SiCSem and 3DGS, saying these initiatives would strengthen the state’s capabilities in advanced manufacturing and technology.
