Rajnath Singh inaugurates BrahMos production unit
Lucknow, May 11 (PTI): Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday virtually inaugurated the BrahMos Aerospace Integration and Testing Facility at the Uttar Pradesh Defence Industrial Corridor here.
The Rs 300 crore facility is a key part of the Uttar Pradesh Defence Industrial Corridor and represents India's commitment to self-reliant defence manufacturing, the Ministry of Defence said.
"It includes not only missile production but also testing, integration, and a materials complex for aerospace-grade components. A major leap toward #AtmanirbharBharat and a strategic boost to regional industrial growth," the Ministry of Defence said on X.
The Uttar Pradesh government had said the facility will manufacture one of the world's fastest supersonic cruise missiles, with a range of 290 to 400 km and a top speed of Mach 2.8.
The missile, a product of BrahMos Aerospace, a joint venture between India and Russia, can be launched from land, sea, or air and uses a "fire and forget" system.
Completed in three-and-a-half years, the BrahMos production unit in Lucknow is spread over 80 hectares of land provided free of cost by the Uttar Pradesh government, the state government had said in the statement.
The UP Defence Industrial Corridor, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2018, has six nodes --- Lucknow, Kanpur, Aligarh, Agra, Jhansi, and Chitrakoot -- where major investments are being made to boost defence manufacturing.
Uttar Pradesh is the second state after Tamil Nadu to establish a Defence Industrial Corridor, it added.
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JD(U) supremo Nitish Kumar's son Nishant to start maiden political yatra on Sunday
Patna (PTI): JD(U) leader Nishant Kumar, whose belated political entry has shone a ray of hope on the party rattled by his father Nitish Kumar's sudden relinquishment of power, is set to launch his first public outreach programme in Bihar on Sunday.
The 45-year-old, who joined the party only last month, is scheduled to kick off his "Sadbhav Yatra" (goodwill tour) from Valmiki Nagar in West Champaran district.
The place had been chosen multiple times by his father as the starting point for numerous "yatras" during a nearly two-decade-long tenure as the chief minister of Bihar.
The party, which is still recovering from the shock of the 75-year-old leader's sudden decision to enter the Rajya Sabha, triggering fears of a diminution in political clout, has coined a catchy slogan to announce the arrival of the heir apparent.
"Jai Nishant, tay Nishant" (victory for Nishant, his rise is inevitable) is a catchphrase that can now be seen splashed on the JD(U)'s posters as well as social media handles.
On the eve of the launch of "Sadbhav Yatra", JD(U) spokesperson and MLC Neeraj Kumar told a press conference in West Champaran's headquarters of Bettiah, that "Nishant belongs to the land where Emperor Asoka was born.
Like his father, he is starting a Yatra from the land of Sage Valmiki".
"Both Valmiki and Asoka epitomised renunciation. Our supreme leader Nitish Kumar showed the same spirit of renunciation when he decided to give up the seat of power to live by his convictions," said Neeraj Kumar.
He added that "the same dispassion for power has been demonstrated by Nishant. He could have secured a berth in the new Cabinet or the state legislature any time. But he chose to shun shortcuts and earn his spurs through the tried and tested method of mass contact".
After the JD(U) supremo stepped down as chief minister, a new government headed by BJP leader Samrat Choudhary has been formed in Bihar.
"Nitish Kumar had always followed the policy of zero tolerance for crime, corruption and communalism. The new government, too, has adopted the same as its motto. In Nishant, we have a leader who will carry forward the legacy," said Neeraj Kumar.
