Bhubaneswar/Koraput: Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi Tuesday urged the Centre to set up another defence manufacturing unit in the state, saying its growing industrial ecosystem can help India achieve self-reliance in defence production.
He made the request while sharing the stage with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh at a programme at Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd’s (HAL) Koraput Division in Sunabeda.
“The new-age industries in Odisha would facilitate the manufacturing of defence equipment,” Majhi said, adding that an industrial revolution was underway in the state, creating a robust ecosystem covering sectors from metals to semiconductors.
Emphasising the importance of indigenous technology and self-reliance in the defence sector, he said the state government was committed to developing Odisha as a major industrial and defence hub.
Majhi said the HAL Koraput Division had made an “unparalleled contribution” to national security over the past six decades.
The inauguration of the second manufacturing line for the ‘Shakti’ engine and the handover of the 2,000th engine marked India’s growing defence capabilities, he said.
The new production line for light helicopters will enable the annual manufacture of 100 ‘Shakti’ engines, while the production capacity for AL-31FP engines is being increased from 30 to 50 units a year.
“It is a matter of pride and glory for the people of Odisha that the HAL Koraput Division is currently executing a project worth Rs 1,600 crore,” Majhi said.
The chief minister said that since the BJP government came to power in Odisha, investment proposals worth around Rs 22.5 lakh crore had been received, of which projects worth Rs 12.5 lakh crore had been approved.
Grounding has been completed for 152 industrial projects worth more than Rs 3 lakh crore, which are expected to create 2.5 lakh jobs, he said.
Majhi also said the ‘Odisha Silicon Valley’ was being established over 870 acres at Naraj near Cuttack to boost the semiconductor sector, while projects such as SiCSEM and 3DGS were under development.
These initiatives would play a key role in making India self-reliant in semiconductor manufacturing, he said.
Singh said the HAL Koraput facility, combined with the defence and naval ecosystem in nearby Visakhapatnam, could give eastern India a new industrial and strategic identity.
“HAL, which has been manufacturing engines for frontline aircraft since 1964, has successfully developed the Koraput facility not merely as a factory, but as a hub for the aerospace propulsion ecosystem,” Singh said.
He said Odisha occupied a significant place in India’s defence sector and its importance was steadily growing.
The defence minister highlighted Odisha’s east-coast location, long coastline, major ports, mineral resources, engineering capabilities, industrial infrastructure and skilled workforce as key advantages for defence manufacturing and technology.
He also cited the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur in Balasore district as a major centre for India’s missile testing.
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