Telangana to be defence production hub

Hyderabad: It is not just ‘Make in India,’ rather ‘Making in India for the world.’

Not just offset, Hyderabad has evolved by leaps and bounds as the preferred low-cost alternative manufacturing location.

The city has not just embraced the concept of ‘Make in India,’ it is proactively making in India, for the world, said minister for industries and IT. K.T. Rama Rao. Speaking at the US-India defence ties conference at Taj Krishna on Wednesday the minister said: “The city is the largest and most strategic location for defence establishments.” Adding weight to his statement, he said that fuselage of the US presidential helicopter is manufactured in the city. “I am glad that the US wants to maintain relations with India at a more local level and not just the national level. There are several states in India that have the capability of manufacturing defence products; Telangana is the fastest growing state amongst them,” he said.

And that’s not all. US and Indian companies are already collaborating in the co-production of C-130 transport aircraft, F-16 fighter planes and Apache helicopters at joint facilities in Hyderabad.

While the growth rates have gone down this year,  he said that there would be good times right around the corner. “There is an abundance of skilled talent, coupled with the schemes launched by the state government to promote start-ups and MSMEs,” he said. With the TS-iPass, many major companies have set up their units in Hyderabad, including Amazon and the state will soon turn into a defence hub since over 12 defence, 25 aerospace and Boeing companies are present in the city, said Rama Rao.

“The first ever tri-service military exercise between India and the United States, held in November called Tiger Triumph and held at the Port of  Vishakapatnam in Andhra Pradesh was a delightful experience.

Hyderabad has a lot to offer to the defence sector. There is a lot of potential here where we can find developers, engineers for our software and materials as well,” said Joel Starr, deputy assistant secretary from the US department of state.