Lucknow / Nov 8, 2020
South African military hardware maker Milkor has inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Uttar Pradesh government for setting up its manufacturing unit in the UP Defence Corridor.
The company, which has proposed to invest Rs 20 crore, has sought 20 acres of land in Aligarh district, which constitutes ones of the six nodes of the Corridor viz. Aligarh, Agra, Jhansi, Chitrakoot, Kanpur and Lucknow.
Milkor was established in 1981 as an original designer and manufacturer of handheld 40mm Multiple Grenade Launcher weapon systems. Over the years, it has developed into a full turnkey defence solution provider specialising in unmanned air, land and sea capabilities.
According to UP Expressway Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA) CEO and additional chief secretary Awanish Kumar Awasthi, the MoU was signed by Milkor India managing director Luciano Jardim, who also acknowledged the fast changing business climate in the state.
Meanwhile, the government has acquired 1,438 hectares for the mega Corridor project, which is estimated to attract total investments of Rs 50,000 crore. Almost 5,000 hectares are expected to be acquired across all the six nodes of the Corridor for subsequent allotment to the public and private sector companies.
To woo the private investors, the Yogi Adityanath government is providing several incentives and subsidies on land and capital investment. Earlier, the state had framed the Defence and Aerospace Manufacturing Employment Promotion Policy 2018 to promote the growing indigenous defence manufacturing sector.
Considering the importance of the Corridor project for the country’s aim of becoming self reliant in military hardware requirements and attaining export status in the coming years, defence minister Rajnath Singh had recently asked the Yogi government to accelerate the projects and nurture close coordination with the investors.
Indian Navy had also signed an MoU with UPEIDA for setting up a ‘Centre of Excellence’ in the Corridor to promote research and innovation in the defence sector. Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur and IIT-BHU, Varanasi are already on board as knowledge partners in the UP Defence Corridor project.
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