India's missile power is set to get a boost with a surface-to-air missile
unit set to come up at a cost of Rs 30,000 crore at Ibrahimpatnam in
Andhra Pradesh's Rangareddy district. The foundation stone for the
project by Bharat Dynamics Ltd (BDL) was laid by chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy
The infrastructure for the project, spread over 630 acres, will be
ready in three years' time. Once ready, an estimated 6,000 missiles are
expected to be produced at the unit. Moreover, missile production will
go up as project capacity is expanded to keep up with the demand for
missiles.
M Pallam Raju, the union minister of state for
defence, said that the project cost would be allocated in the 12th and
13th Plans.
Project developer BDL's turnover would go from Rs
1,000 crore to Rs 5,000 crore once production begins at the
surface-to-air missile defence project unit at Ibrahimpatnam.
The new unit will create 1,000 officer-level jobs. Pallam Raju said
manpower from educational institutions should be churned out as per
industry requirements to enable the local population to benefit from the
project and find employment at the unit.
Training in the
necessary skills should be offered at the technological institutions for
the local populace to be able to compete at the national level for the
jobs that are created, he said, adding the Centre would soon come out
with a policy that facilitates better private sector participation in
the defence sector.
