Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said that India should not be dependent on other countries for its weapons and security needs.
Speaking after laying the foundation stone for the helicopter manufacturing facility of the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited at Bidarehalla Kaval in Gubbi taluk of Tumakuru district on Sunday, Modi said that the country had achieved self-sufficiency in food production due to hard work of farmers and it was now time to become self sufficient in meeting defence needs.
Promoting the ‘ Make in India’ idea, Modi said that the Union government would emphasise on indigenous manufacturing defence equipment. Alternatively, if the country had to purchase them from other nations, a deal would be struck to manufacture defence equipment in India to as generate job opportunities.
Lauding the contribution of the HAL over the last 75 years, the Prime Minister said that a budgetary allocation of Rs 5,000 crore has been made for the helicopter unit.
“By 2018, the first helicopter from here should be ready to fly and 15 years after the first one is out, at least 600 helicopters should be manufactured,” he said.
The prime minister said that the helicopter unit would help 4,000 families directly or indirectly by providing job opportunities.
610 acres allotted
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said that Karnataka government had allotted 610 acres to HAL at Rs one lakh per acre for setting up the helicopter unit. He said additional four acres would be sanctioned for the unit and promised to provide better road connectivity for the facility.
“Karnataka has 70 per cent of the supplier base. Out of 2,300 suppliers of HAL, 1,600 are based in Karnataka,” he said.
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilisers Ananth Kumar, Union Law Minister D V Sadananda Gowda and others were present.
Published 03 January 2016, 19:57 IST