Hyderabad: The Minister KTR has written a letter to Union Defence Minister Smt Nirmala Sitaraman making a strong pitch for Defence Industrial Production Corridor in the state. Minister KTR outlined the various advantages Telangana and its capital city Hyderabad has to establish a Defence Industrial Production Corridor. Reminding that the fledgling state of Telangana needs all the support possible from Union Government, Minister KTR exhorted the Union Government to consider Telangana for setting up this corridor. Minister said that the state has trained manpower and the proposed corridor would generate the much needed jobs for local youngsters. Minister also stated that the Defence Industrial Production Corridor would boost the manufacturing sector in the state.
The Two Defence Industrial Production Corridors proposed in the Union Budget 2018-19. While the first one was proposed between Chennai – Bengaluru and the second one in Bundelkhand.
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.
The State already has a vibrant ecosystem in private sector with several established companies in Aerospace and Defence sector. Several private firms such as Tata Advanced Systems Limited, MTAR, ATL, SEC, ASTRA, VEM, ZEN, HBL, PEL, and IDL etc. have established themselves as manufacturing partners for domestic and foreign OEMS. 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 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.
The State has recognized the 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. That the state is also planning to set up a larger aerospace and Defence Park in the 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 the Central Government.
Leading International OEMs such as Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Sikorsky, RUAG, Pilatus etc. have selected Hyderabad for manufacturing aero structures, fuselages, components and spares through their Indian JV partner Tata Advanced Systems Ltd. International aircraft engine manufacturers like Pratt and Whitney and CFM has selected Hyderabad to locate their engine training centres in India. Hyderabad is also the first state to have a MRO SEZ
That, About 1000 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, GIS, Mapping, Communications, etc., and mainly into high precision operations.
The Telangana has 26 Universities, 705 Engineering Colleges, 280 polytechnics producing readily employable and technically trained workforce. Several prestigious institutions such as the IIT, ISB, CCMB, IICT, IIIT, T-Hub etc are located in Hyderabad which creates a vibrant atmosphere promoting innovation, cross functional research and technology collaboration.
The State also ranks Number One in the Ease of Doing Business (2017) and is strategically safe, seismically stable and well connected to the major defence establishments.
The proposed corridor would strengthen our manufacturing base in Defence and Allied sectors and augment our nation’s initiatives to indigenise defence supplies and strengthen the National Security.
