CM Adityanath, both deputy CMs Keshav Maurya and Brajesh Pathak and key government officials are likely to attend the ceremony.
Lucknow’s BrahMos manufacturing unit is part of the UPDIC and has been set up by BrahMos Aerospace, a joint venture between DRDO and the Russian firm NPO Mashinostroyeniya, with an estimated investment of Rs 300 crore.
In December 2021, the state government had allotted 80 hectares of land free of cost for the project, and the unit has been completed in 3.5 years.
Shrihari Pratap Shahi, ACEO of Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA), said in a statement: “The state government not only provided free land but also closely monitored progress of the unit, which helped in its completion within just 3.5 years. The Lucknow unit will also produce other defence equipment, giving the city and the state a new identity in the defence sector.”
It will also be the first advanced, hi-tech unit of its kind in the state. It will help grow the aerospace industry and bring modern manufacturing technologies to Uttar Pradesh, he said.
ThePrint has learnt that the unit is expected to generate direct employment for nearly 500 engineers and technicians, besides indirect employment for hundreds of skilled, semi-skilled, and general workers.
Officials in the industrial development department said that apart from land for the BrahMos manufacturing unit, the government has allotted 117.35 hectares to 12 other companies in Lucknow for projects under the defence corridor.
Among them, Aerolloy Technologies has received 20 hectares for a production unit in which Rs 320 crore has already been invested.
These defence projects are expected to generate more than 3,000 jobs and can make Lucknow a key hub for defence-packaging materials, said officials in the department.
UPDIC is part of a larger joint effort by the central and state governments to establish defence manufacturing hubs across the country and reduce India’s dependence on foreign defence imports. It was first announced in the Union Budget 2018-19, along with the Tamil Nadu Defence Industrial Corridor.
UPDIC has so far attracted investment worth over Rs 25,000 crore with 170 MoUs signed, 145 of which are with industries, and the remaining 25 with institutions, according to the state government.
Launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the UP Investors Summit in Lucknow on 21 February, 2018, the corridor spans six nodes: Aligarh, Agra, Jhansi, Kanpur, Chitrakoot and Lucknow.
Out of 2,001 hectares land identified for the project, 923 hectares has been allocated to 57 companies across the six locations.
According to the Chief Minister’s Office, 16 companies in the Jhansi node have been allocated 531 hectares, under which an investment of Rs 4,372 crore and direct employment to 2,928 people is proposed. Enterprises such as explosives, ammunition, propulsion systems, and mobile platforms for mid-calibre infantry weapons will be set up here.
In Kanpur, 210 hectares have been allocated to five companies, with the move likely to generate an investment of Rs 1,758 crore and employment for 2,200. Units of small, medium and large-sized ammunition, bulletproof jackets, special clothing and small arms are being set up here.
Aligarh has been proposed as a hub for drones. Up to 64 hectares of land has been allocated to 24 companies here, with an investment of Rs 1,921 crore and employment for 5,618 people proposed. Drones, loitering ammunition, counter-drone systems, precision instruments, mechatronics, small arms and radars would be manufactured.
In Lucknow, 12 companies, including BrahMos Aerospace, have been allocated 117 hectares. This is expected to lead to an investment of Rs 1,411 crore and generate employment for 2,930 people. Apart from BrahMos, missile systems, ammunition, defence packaging, drones and small arms will be manufactured here, according to the CMO.
Efforts to accelerate land allocation and industrial development are under way in the Agra and Chitrakoot nodes.
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
