Yogi Adityanath Announced A 35,000-Crore Investment In UP Defence Corridors

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday said investment proposals worth over Rs 35,000 crore are being implemented to strengthen the state's six defence industrial corridors located in Lucknow, Kanpur, Jhansi, Agra, Aligarh and Chitrakoot.

At the closing ceremony of the NorthTech Symposium, at New Cantt, Yogi Adityanath said, "The state government has also created a large land bank. Through the defence and aerospace policy, incentives are being provided to investors willing to invest." He also noted that Aligarh has emerged as epicentre for small arms, defence equipment and military supplies, while Kanpur, typically known as the Manchester of the East is developing as a centre for ammunition, missiles, defence textiles and protective gear.

"Lucknow has been focused on BrahMos missiles and heavy defence manufacturing. Chitrakoot and Agra are being developed for precision engineering in aerospace and defence," the Chief Minister said during the ceremony.  He added that the manufacturing of artillery shells, drones, bulletproof jackets, and advanced communication systems is aimed to multiply and strengthening the capabilities of armed forces.

Drawing attention to the industrial infrastructure of Uttar Pradesh, he added that the required ecosystem for defence manufacturing corridors is already existing. The state has a strong base of MSMEs with 96 lakh operational units across different sectors including hardware, leather and textiles, along with 56 percent of skilled human capital. The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur is working is collaboration with the government to develop Centre of Excellence for drones.

"Today, more than 21,000 startups have been established in Uttar Pradesh across sectors, including AI, robotics, drones, semiconductors and data centres," he said. Indicating towards governance reforms, he emphasised that good governance and establishing rule of law has always been a priority of his government since 2017. They had adopted a zero-tolerance policy against crime and criminals to improve the state’s identity.

These policies have resulted in Uttar Pradesh now having one of the best infrastructures in the country, with highways, expressways, rail connectivity, metro networks and air connectivity. Along with this, security measures and improved law and order have led to attracting quality investments into the state.

The NorthTech Symposium was inaugurated by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on May 4. More than 250 companies from the defence sector showcased their products and technologies at the event, officials said.  

(With Inputs from PTI)