Latest news with #WalchandHirachand
The Hindu
6 days ago
- Business
- The Hindu
HAL is Karnataka's pride, built by Kannadigas, says Yaduveer
MP for Mysuru Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar has asserted that Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is a matter of immense pride for Karnataka and was established through the vision and efforts of Kannadigas, with no role played by former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in its founding. Speaking to reporters here on Wednesday, Mr. Yaduveer said that HAL's origins trace back to 1940 when American entrepreneur William D. Pawley and Indian industrialist Walchand Hirachand proposed setting up an aircraft manufacturing facility. The then Maharaja of Mysore supported the initiative by providing approximately 700 acres of land free of cost, facilitating the establishment of the company. Mr. Yaduveer also pointed out that several States, including Andhra Pradesh under the leadership of Chandrababu Naidu, have expressed interest in relocating HAL to their regions. However, Mr. Yaduveer opposed any such move, stating that HAL must remain in Karnataka. The company was renamed Hindustan Aeronautics Limited in 1964 and brought under the Ministry of Defence, he said in a statement here. Responding to the remarks of Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, who recently credited Nehru with HAL's establishment, Mr. Yaduveer refuted the claim, stressing that it was Walchand Hirachand who envisioned the company, and the Mysore Maharaja who facilitated its founding. Highlighting HAL's contributions during World War II, Mr. Yaduveer called on the State government to take measures to ensure HAL's continued growth. 'We will appeal to the Union government as well to support HAL's expansion,' he added. He also took a swipe at Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for skipping the recent NITI Aayog meeting, calling it a missed opportunity to advocate for Karnataka's development. 'It is unfair to blame the Centre when the State fails to represent itself,' Mr. Yaduveer said. He noted that the Chief Minister has already faced criticism for his absence at the key policy forum.
News18
28-05-2025
- Politics
- News18
‘Nehru Had Nothing To Do With HAL': Mysore Royal Scion Fact-Checks DK Shivakumar
Last Updated: BJP MP and Mysore royal scion Yaduveer Wadiyar said HAL was founded by Walchand Hirachand with support from the Mysore Kingdom, not by Nehru, as claimed by Karnataka's Deputy CM Who really established Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL)? Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar recently claimed that Jawaharlal Nehru was its founder. But BJP MP and Mysore royal scion Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar has pushed back—both publicly and online—asserting that Nehru had nothing to do with HAL's founding, and that the credit rightly belongs to industrialist Walchand Hirachand and the Kingdom of Mysore. 'THIS IS A KANNADIGA INSTITUTION' Speaking to reporters, Wadiyar made his position clear: 'The Deputy Chief Minister said it's Nehru's contribution. We need to clarify that. In 1940, Walchand Hirachand approached many kings with the idea of an aircraft development system. Only the King of Mysore agreed." He underscored the foundational role played by the Mysore government, saying: 'The Government of Karnataka, back then the Government of Mysore, gave around 700 acres of land. The initial investment came from the Government of Mysore. The king decided not to give the share to anyone else." Wadiyar stressed that HAL's origins were firmly local: 'This is a system that has been developed by the Kannadigas, under Kannadiga leadership. We also need to remind the DyCM. He has a compulsion to attribute everything to a dynasty and high command, but we need to tell this clearly to him." He also made a pitch for HAL to remain in the state: 'HAL should be kept in Karnataka itself. Even if other defence centres come up, it must remain here. This is what we are telling the Chief Minister as well." Wadiyar traced HAL's roots back to William D. Pawley, an American industrialist who had earlier worked with China's Nationalist government to establish CAMCO (Central Aircraft Manufacturing Company) in 1933. In October 1939, on a Pan Am flight to Hong Kong, Pawley met Walchand Hirachand. That accidental meeting sparked the idea of building aircraft in India. Pawley arrived in India in July 1940 and secured British approval for the project within 72 hours. Walchand first pitched the idea to shareholders of The Scindia Steam Navigation Company, but they rejected it. He then approached Indian princely states—Baroda, Gwalior, Bhavnagar, and Mysore. Only the Mysore Maharaja accepted the proposal. In October 1940, Pawley and Walchand visited Bangalore. The Mysore government granted 700 acres of land, invested Rs 25 lakh in equity, and offered institutional support. On 23 December 1940, Hindustan Aircraft Company was incorporated under the Mysore Companies Act, with Walchand as chairman. Work began immediately, and within three weeks the first building and runway were ready. The Government of India placed its first order: By April 1941, the British Indian government also invested Rs 25 lakh. As the Japanese threat loomed, CAMCO machinery was relocated from China to Mysore. On 29 August 1941, HAL delivered its first Harlow trainer to the Indian government. After Pearl Harbor, the British took control of HAL in April 1942. Walchand was bought out for Rs 57 lakh. While the Mysore government refused to sell its stake, it ceded temporary control during World War II. In 1943, the facility was handed to the US Army Air Forces, becoming the 84th Air Depot, a key Allied aircraft repair hub across Asia. After the war, the Mysore government resumed active partnership in 1946. HAL was restructured as Hindustan Aeronautics Limited on 1 October 1964, under the Ministry of Defence. Wadiyar's historical account also points out that HAL's journey wasn't just industrial—it was strategic. Initially, the company produced aircraft under foreign licence, including: But by 1951, India's aviation ambitions took flight. The HT-2 Trainer—the country's first indigenous aircraft, designed under Dr V.M. Ghatge—had its maiden flight. Over 150 HT-2s were eventually delivered to the Indian Air Force. In the following years, HAL successfully developed several indigenous aircraft: Pushpak – for flying clubs Krishak – for Air Observation Post duties HF-24 'Marut' – India's first jet fighter HJT-16 'Kiran' – a basic jet trainer 'A FORGOTTEN ROYAL CONTRIBUTION' Despite the Mysore state's foundational role, Wadiyar noted, neither HAL nor the Karnataka government publicly acknowledges the contribution. 'HAL's website features only Walchand's photo. A forgotten royal contribution to Indian aviation," he wrote. He concluded by calling on leaders to stop rewriting history for political gain: 'Instead of misrepresenting facts and glorifying the Nehru/Gandhi family… the government and the Honourable Deputy CM should focus on ensuring HAL is strengthened. He should take pride in knowing this institution was built by Karnataka's leaders and remains a symbol of the state's contribution to Bharat." Get Latest Updates on Movies, Breaking News On India, World, Live Cricket Scores, And Stock Market Updates. Also Download the News18 App to stay updated! tags : DK Shivakumar Hindustan Aeronautics Limited Location : New Delhi, India, India First Published: May 28, 2025, 20:46 IST News politics 'Nehru Had Nothing To Do With HAL': Mysore Royal Scion Fact-Checks DK Shivakumar
The Print
13-05-2025
- Business
- The Print
It doesn't end here. India must prepare for mightier neighbours
Nationalising HAL in the early years after Independence was a mistake. Walchand Hirachand had built a great company, which decayed after nationalisation. On the other hand, countries like Brazil, once nowhere on the horizon, started making better aircraft than India. While HAL has not been privatised, it is now a strong player—no longer a forlorn child abandoned on the outskirts of Bengaluru in Jalahalli. Kudos to former defence minister Manohar Parrikar, who made these two acquisitions possible after a decade of atrophied indifference. Kudos to Rajnath Singh, who was not churlish and did not abandon his predecessor's good steps. Instead, he built upon them and carried on bravely, soberly, and sensibly with multiple modernisation programmes. Kudos to the Modi government, too, which had the courage to reverse decades of stupidity in defence procurement. It has sought to revitalise the DRDO and breathed new energy into HAL. Iran may have dismissed the S-400 in favour of domestically developed weapons, but the Russian missile system certainly worked for India in the recent escalation with Pakistan. And thank god for the Rafales. The country might have been weak without them, as it was some years ago. Meanwhile, ISRO has been acquiring one strength after another. The government also bit the bullet on ordnance factories. They are no longer 'departmental' outfits bogged down in bureaucratic miasma. They are companies subject to external operating guidelines and financial judgements. And this was done despite stubborn, Luddite trade union obstruction. However, it pales in comparison to the open and welcoming involvement of the private sector in defence manufacturing. Today, we are finally seeing the emergence of world–class defence manufacturing units in India, whether it is from the Tatas, Mahindra, L&T, the Adanis, or Bharat Forge. The country is also giving rise to startups producing muscular drones, thermal imaging, and even low–publicity items such as body armour. These developments give us insight into what we have to do next. Learn from Roosevelt About 50 years ago, Indian automobile companies required foreign collaboration. We simply could not design our cars. Today, the Tatas, the Mahindras, and Maruti (more an Indian company than a Japanese MNC) conceptualise, design, and produce world–class cars. And therein lies an opportunity. During World War 2, US President Franklin Roosevelt appointed former head of General Motors, William Knudsen, to figure out how to make military equipment for the country. He did not advocate the creation of public sector behemoths. Instead, he sought a series of public-private partnerships. It turned out that private auto manufacturers did make better tanks than those specified by the inertia-laden Pentagon bureaucracy. The US out-innovated and out-produced not only Germany and Japan, but the whole world. It won the war and ensured enduring dominance. India should learn from this anecdote, especially because it is already on a similar path. It can become the world–class provider of missiles, air defence systems, robot soldiers (future wars may not involve human soldiers), and multi-purpose drones. Software will be the critical factor in the battlefields of the future, and India can gain a competitive advantage. Thanks to ISRO, it can become the cheapest provider of satellite coverage and related technologies. We have been told that we can never make aircraft engines. What about a 1,000-crore or even a 10,000-crore public-private initiative to crack this problem? Of course, it is not that simple. We have to fix our administrative logjams. A complex RFI/AFP/tender process with delays in its DNA will never work. But Parrikar and Singh have shown that India need not forever be a prisoner to its bureaucratic apparatus. It can tap into its human capital wisely. Engineering colleges across the country may be invited to apply to become defence technology partners in research and in placements for their graduates. There will be problems. Two out of 50 selected colleges will get themselves into the list by bribing someone. The media will make a lot of noise—this will have to be ignored. Because there are 48 good partners. President Roosevelt never took the position that there was no corruption in the procurement process during World War 2. The important thing is what was achieved. India can, and it must, support startups. And many of these might fail. But instead of a national witch hunt over these failures, we need TV coverage for our successes. Another myth is that even if India has software skills, it lacks manufacturing skills, which are important for producing robots and drones. This is simply not true. We have the skill; we have merely not scaled like China due to a hostile business environment. In Coimbatore alone, there are dozens, probably hundreds, of foundries that closed down due to electricity issues in the pre-Kudankulam days. The skills exist. The entrepreneurs exist. The administration just has to see them as partners and not adversaries, which is what the tax bureaucrats are doing today. If even 10 Indian manufacturing entrepreneurs scale, the country would be in good shape. Also read: Pakistan can't test India's strategic patience anymore. The doctrine has flipped Establish escalation dominance India must focus on creating an ecosystem that dominates the technologies of future wars. By doing this, it can achieve strong 'escalation dominance', a much-abused phrase of recent origin. And the country can achieve this through meaningful public-private partnerships, and by taking risks (for instance, not getting hysterical if a startup fails). India must continue to export—this will ensure that its equipment is as good or better than what the world makes. In the 1980s, we imported world–class artillery from a small country like Sweden. Within the next five years, we should be in a position to sell next–generation military equipment to Sweden. At that stage, the declining economy of Pakistan will face immense trouble. India grows at a rate of 6-7 per cent. Pakistan grows at 0 per cent. India's fiscal deficit is manageable and declining. Pakistan's fiscal deficit is astronomical and growing. Indian reserves are in the hundreds of billions. Pakistani reserves are technically negative. India's national debt is reducing. Pakistan is drowning in debt. In India, inflation is quite low. In Pakistan, it is out of control. Islamabad has neither the money nor the human capital to invest in technology. In future encounters, India must establish escalation dominance more than in recent times. It does not end here. One day, we will perhaps be confident enough to resist mightier neighbouring powers. Jaithirth 'Jerry' Rao is a retired entrepreneur who lives in Lonavala. He has published three books: 'Notes from an Indian Conservative', 'The Indian Conservative', and 'Economist Gandhi'. Views are personal. (Edited by Prasanna Bachchhav)
