AMARAVATI/NEW DELHI, May 25: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu sought Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s support to transform the state into an aerospace, defence industries hub.
Naidu, during his recent meeting with Rajnath Singh, gave a wish list of half a dozen projects, requesting him to mobilise defence public sector undertakings (DPSU) investments and set up an air force station.
Similar to Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu defence corridors, the Chief Minister also requested Singh to notify five hubs with the potential to develop into aerospace and defence industries.
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“Request formal recognition for the hubs by the Central government to promote investments,” a press release issued on Sunday, quotes the CM as saying.
The five hubs proposed by him include Jaggaiahpet – Donakonda Hub (6,000 acres), Lepakshi – Madaksira Hub (10,000 acres), Visakhapatnam – Anakapalli Hub (3,000 acres), Kurnool – Orvakal Hub (4,000 acres) and Tirupati as the fifth hub.
According to Naidu, Jaggaiahpet – Donakonda hub is suited for missile and ammunition production, Lepakshi – Madakasira Hub for civil and military aircraft and electronics manufacturing, Visakhapatnam – Anakapalli Hub for naval equipment production and weapons testing.
Likewise, he noted that Kurnool Orvakal Hub is well suited for military drones, robotics and advanced defence component manufacturing, while Tirupati Hub is apt for research and development (R&D) in advance defence innovations.
Naidu also requested the establishment of a DRDO Industry–Academia Centre of Excellence at IIT Tirupati.
Similarly, he sought the Defence Ministry’s intervention to develop a common storage policy for ammunition.
As the current defence manufacturing regulations require large land banks, at least 1,000 acres per project, the TDP supremo called for a structured common storage area framework for enabling efficient land usage.
Delving on DPSU investments in the southern state, the CM appealed for the Defence Ministry’s approval to mobilise investments from Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), Mishra Dhatu Nigam Ltd (MIDHANI) and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).
Observing that BEL has proposed to invest Rs 2,200 crore to establish a Defence Strategic Integrated Complex at Palasamudram in Sri Satyasai district, Naidu said Andhra Pradesh is ready to provide customised support to enable this expansion.
Likewise, the NDA ally noted that Utkarsha Aluminium Dhatu Nigam Ltd (UADNL), a joint venture between Midhani and National Aluminium Company Ltd (NALCO), aims to establish a 60,000 TPA high-end aluminium alloy production plant in Nellore.
However, he highlighted that this project is in a limbo though the state government had allotted land in 2017. Hence, Naidu requested Singh to revive this project by resolving the pending issues.
In anticipation of Rs 2.5 lakh crore orders by FY26, he said HAL is expanding the production of Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) and Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) and Andhra Pradesh is eager to facilitate this expansion by offering land and infrastructure.
Further, Naidu requested the Defence Minister’s support to turn Andhra Pradesh into a manufacturing destination for Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft, India’s fifth-generation stealth fighter aircraft.
Likewise, he requested the Defence Ministry’s approval to set up an Air Force station at Donakonda, which is strategically located 400 km from Hyderabad, offering direct access to missile test facilities at Surya Lanka and the upcoming missile test range at Nagayalanka.
Finally, Naidu asked the Defence Ministry to intervene to establish a naval equipment and weapons testing facility, alongside notifying a seafront land parcel as a marine and underwater special economic zone (SEZ) to support the Vizag-based Eastern Naval Command (ENC) and the National Advanced Offshore Base (NOAB).
According to the CM, this facility will reduce underwater weapons testing time and cost, as industries are currently undertaking these tests overseas due to the unavailability of such facilities in India. (PTI)
