Revanth urges PM Modi for a Hyd-B’luru defence corridor

Hyderabad: Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Wednesday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to declare the ‘Hyderabad-Bengaluru’ stretch as a ‘Defence and Aerospace’ corridor to help contribute to Viksit Bharat@47 in a more meaningful way.

Addressing the gathering after inaugurating LEAP engine MRO and laying foundation stone for M88 MRO at GMR Aeropark, the Chief Minister said that Hyderabad, which boasts of over 25 major global companies and more than 1,500 MSME units, has emerged as a major aerospace and defence hub in the country.

Telangana’s industrial and MSME policies are ranked the best in the country, he pointed out, while adding that world-class infrastructure and dedicated aerospace parks and SEZs have attracted mega investments from global leaders.

“We are now the top choice for complex precision engineering projects. Safran, Boeing, Airbus, Tata and Bharat Forge, among others, have established manufacturing and R&D units in Hyderabad,” he said.

Revanth Reddy said that aerospace and defence exports had doubled last year to reach Rs 30,742 crore in nine months, and in the process surpassed pharma exports for the first time.

“Telangana has been consistently winning the ‘best award’ for aerospace, Hyderabad is placed at the global top in cost effectiveness in the coveted rankings of Financial Times as regards aerospace cities of the future.

Welcoming Modi for the virtual launch of the Safran company’s manufacturing unit, the Chief Minister said that the new facility marks an important milestone for Telangana’s growth in aerospace and defence.

“It is the first-ever Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) centre for LEAP engines in India. The new facility, with an investment of Rs 1,300 crore, will provide jobs to over 1,000 skilled technicians and engineers besides providing new business avenues to our local MSMEs and precision engineering companies. We invite Safran to become a lead partner in aerospace and MRO skilling efforts. Telangana will continue to support partners like Safran, provide world-class infrastructure, and encourage the aerospace and defence sector”, he said.

As skilled manpower was critical to attracting huge investments in aerospace, Revanth Reddy said that 100 Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) have been upgraded as Advanced Technology Centres (ATCs), in partnership with Tata Technologies. Job-ready skill training in advanced manufacturing is being provided to the youth. It is with the same spirit that the Young India Skills University is concentrating on specialised training for aircraft maintenance, he said.