BrahMos unit in Lucknow will strengthen India's self-reliance in defence sector: Rajnath Singh
Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday said the BrahMos Integration and Testing Facility Centre would strengthen India's efforts towards aatma-nirbharta (self-reliance) in the defence sector.
He made the remarks after virtually inaugurating the Lucknow-based facility from Delhi.
Terming the BrahMos facility in Lucknow as a matter of pride for the Uttar Pradesh Defence Industrial Corridor (UPDIC), Singh stated that it has already created around 500 direct and 1,000 indirect jobs.
He added that BrahMos is the confluence of top defence technologies of India and Russia.
Singh commended chief minister Yogi Adityanath for completing the project in a record 40 months. He lauded efforts of the scientists, engineers, and the state government, stating that his dream of seeing Lucknow contribute meaningfully to India's defence infrastructure was finally being realised.
On the progress of the UP Defence Industrial Corridor project, Singh said: 'A total of 180 MoUs have, so far, been signed with a proposed investment of ₹34,000 crore. Investment of ₹4,000 crore has already been made.'
Singh quoted the Missile Man of India and former President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam who had said, 'Unless India stands up to the world, no one will respect us.' In this world, fear has no place, only strength respects strength, the defence minister said.
He emphasised that Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government's vision of setting-up the corridor rests on its goal of developing the state as the world's top defence production and export destination.
Speaking on the significance of the day, Singh termed the inauguration of the BrahMos Aerospace facility on National Technology Day (May 11) as historic. He recalled the 1998 Pokhran nuclear tests, conducted under the leadership of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, which marked India's emergence as a strategic power.
'On this day in 1998, under the leadership of respected Atal Bihari Vajpayee ji, our scientists showed India's strength to the world by conducting nuclear tests in Pokhran.'
The highlight of the project is that the participation of both public and the private sector is being witnessed. In Lucknow itself, titanium and super alloy material plants are being started by PTC Industries Limited, Singh added.
'In addition, the foundation of seven additional critical projects is being laid. This would accelerate the pace of India's self-reliance in the defence sector,' asserted Singh.
The defence minister reiterated the government's vision of 'Make-in-India, Make-for-the-World', stressing that self-reliance not only means catering to India's own security needs, but it also envisages making the country a key exporter of defence equipment to the global market.
Citing a recent report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, which said that global military expenditure has risen to $2,718 billion in 2024, Singh stated that such a massive market is an opportunity India must seize.
'The launch of the BrahMos facility is a firm stride towards making India a significant player in the world's defence production ecosystem,' he said.
He added that Kanpur, which was known as Manchester of East in the past, will regain its lost glory due to the Defence Corridor project. Kanpur is one of the six nodes of the defence corridor in UP.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
23 minutes ago
- Indian Express
NCLT deputy registrar arrest: CBI seeks to interrogate accused again, he files for bail claiming no truth in allegations of seeking bribe
The CBI has again sought the custody of a deputy registrar of the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) arrested last month on allegations of accepting a bribe of Rs 3 lakh, even as he has filed for bail. Charan Pratap Singh was arrested along with an aide Karsan Ahir on May 29 by the CBI and the special court sent them to judicial custody on the same day. The CBI has again sought custody of Singh and Ahir stating that their custodial interrogation is needed to ascertain about the staff or other senior officials of the NCLT, who were helping him in the case of the complainant, an hotel owner, from whom the bribe was allegedly sought to settle the matter in his favour. The CBI has said that its officials did not get sufficient time to interrogate the arrested accused. Singh has, meanwhile, sought bail claiming that the allegations are 'vague' and 'without any concrete evidence'. The case relates to a dispute between the complainant and his brothers regarding the ownership of the hotel. The matter is pending before the NCLT in Mumbai for over five years. The complainant had alleged that he came in contact with Singh in connection with the pending matter. It is alleged that Singh contacted the complainant and informed him that one of his staff members wanted to stay at his hotel in Lonavala. Accordingly, the staffer with her family stayed at the hotel in April but payment for the same was not done with a bill of Rs 30,000 pending. The complainant alleged that when he asked Singh about the dues, he got irritated and reminded him about the pending matter in NCLT. The complainant further alleged that Singh told him that he will help him with the case and sought the files of the case, which he then handed over at a restaurant on April 26. The complainant had alleged that Singh sought a bribe from him, and he approached the anti-corruption bureau of the agency, following which a trap was laid. On May 28, Ahir, an aide of Singh, accepted the bribe amount on his behalf, the CBI has claimed. The CBI had then sought custody of Singh claiming that he is involved in a 'corruption racket' 'which may lead to a bigger conspiracy of corrupt practices taking place at NCLT' but he was sent to judicial custody by the court. The CBI has now sought to probe into the movement of the file related to the complainant's case, claiming that the two accused have 'exclusive knowledge' of it. Singh through his lawyer Shalabh Saxena said that searches have already been conducted at his residence and no 'tainted' money or incriminating recovery has been made, with mere cash of Rs 22,000 found at his home. 'There is no documented or corroborated evidence to establish the demand of illegal gratification by the accused,' the bail plea states. It is also claimed that Singh owns no property in Mumbai and is living in a shared accommodation in a '8×10 chawl'. He has further submitted that he does not have any sanctioning authority or financial decision-making power in the NCLT. The court has scheduled the pleas for hearing on June 9.
Indian Express
34 minutes ago
- Indian Express
FIR against IT firm accountant for not making PF, ESIC payments
The Mumbai police Tuesday registered an FIR against the accountant of an IT company who allegedly defrauded the company of over Rs 21 lakh by not making Provident Fund (PF) and Employee State Insurance Scheme (ESIC) payments on behalf of the company for nearly three years. The accused woman allegedly made fake PF and ESIC challans to claim payments were made on behalf of the over 60 employees. In addition to this, she allegedly edited other bills and payments that were to be made to clients and diverted the money to other accounts instead of making the entire payment. As per the FIR registered by the Pant Nagar police in Ghatkopar (east) on Tuesday based on a complaint by the director of a company, the accused was working at the Bhandup-based company since 2014. The company found that from November 2021 to November 2024, the accused had not made the payment towards PF and ESIC on behalf of the employees. An official said when a company employee responsible for transferring the money to PF and ESIC accounts told her that the payment status was not visible on the portal, she told him that the company had a financial problem and that the payment would be done once it was solved. When one of the employees complained to her that he was not receiving an SMS every month about PF being deposited in his account, she told him that since the company had not completed the KYC, the employees were not receiving messages. When he was about to complain to the director, she allegedly told him she can give him Rs 50,000 to help him financially. The company further found that several payments that were due to other clients too were not made in its entirety and fake ledger entries were made to conceal the same. Senior inspector of Pant Nagar Rajesh Kevale said that after the company started receiving intimations from PF and ESIC about no contributions being received, they started checking their accounts and found out about the fraud. Kevale said that based on the director's complaint, they registered an FIR against the woman on charges of cheating and forgery. No arrest has been made as yet.
United News of India
34 minutes ago
- United News of India
Punjab: Youtube Influencer arrested for leaking information to Pak ISI
Chandigarh, June 4 (UNI) In a significant breakthrough against espionage networks threatening national security, Punjab Police's State Special Operation Cell (SSOC) SAS Nagar has arrested a YouTube influencer for spying for Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), said DGP Punjab Gaurav Yadav on Wednesday. The arrested accused, identified as Jasbir Singh alias Jaan Mahal (41) of Village Mahlan in Rupnagar, has been operating a YouTube channel 'JaanMahal Video' with over 11 lakh subscribers, ostensibly posting travel and cooking vlogs. Director General of Police Yadav said the accused, Jasbir Singh, has been found associated with Pakistani Intelligence Operative (PIO) Shakir alias Jutt Randhawa, part of a terror-backed espionage network. He also maintained close contact with Haryana-based YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra— arrested for spying by Haryana Police, and Ehsan-ur-Rahim alias Danish, a Pakistani national and expelled Pak High Commission official. He said the investigation has revealed that Jasbir attended the Pakistan National Day event in Delhi on Danish's invitation, where he met Pakistani Army officials and vloggers. The accused has also travelled to Pakistan on three occasions in 2020, 2021 and 2024, and came into direct contact with ISI officers, who subsequently cultivated and recruited him to carry out espionage activities within India, he added. The DGP said after Jyoti Malhotra's arrest, accused Jasbir had attempted to erase all traces of his communications with these PIOs to avoid detection. Further investigations are underway to dismantle the broader espionage-terror network and identify all collaborators, he added. AIG, SSOC SAS Nagar Dr Ravjot Grewal said that police teams have received reliable input about Jasbir Singh alias Jaan Mahal being in touch with many Pakistan-based entities, including agents of the Pakistan intelligence agency ISI and has been providing sensitive information about the movement of Indian Army and other inside activities of the country to Pakistan. Acting swiftly, teams of SSOC SAS Nagar launched an intel-based operation and arrested suspect and recovered his mobile device, she said. She said around 150 Pakistan contacts have been retrieved from the initial mobile phone forensics of the arrested. These included mobile numbers of Pakistan ISI agents, Pakistan High Commission officials and other Pak-based entities. In a bid to cover his tracks, the accused had deleted crucial digital evidence, including chats, contact records, and documents exchanged with Pakistani intelligence handlers from his mobile phone, said the AIG, while adding that technical recovery and forensic examination are underway to retrieve deleted data and information leaked through him. She said that the investigation has revealed that the accused, Jasbir, used this platform as a cover to share sensitive information about Indian Army movements and activities with Pakistani handlers. The AIG said accused Jasbir had got introduced with Jyoti Malhotra through Pakistan embassy officials at an event hosted by Pakistan embassy in 2024. Both Jasbir and Jyoti also visited Pakistan together. Further investigation is in progress to identify potential accomplices, digital communication trails, and foreign linkages, she added. Meanwhile, a case has been registered at Police Station SSOC SAS Nagar. UNI GS SSP
