CHENNAI: An aerospace and defence manufacturing hub will come up soon at Hosur in Krishnagiri district in the state.

The GMR group, India's leading infrastructure company, is setting up the hub at its special investment region to encourage indigenous production of defence equipment in the country. The project is a joint venture between GMR Group and the Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO).

Under this, about 600 acres of prime industrial land has been made ready for immediate occupation.

The proposed hub is an ideal location for defence related manufacturing. Major Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs) like Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML) and Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) are only 50 - 60 km away. The hub also benefits from the established industrial ecosystem in Hosur, 700 plus MSMEs engaged in precision engineering in the region. Proximity to Bengaluru ensures ready access to skilled manpower.

Commenting on the setting up of the manufacturing hub, BVN Rao, Business Chairman-Transportation & Urban Infrastructure, GMR Group, says, “this defence manufacturing hub can potentially be a game changer for the region. We will be providing all the necessary infrastructure facilities to attract global majors to set up their manufacturing facilities here. GKSIR Hosur is keen to set an international benchmark.”

To accelerate this effort, the GKSIR is also being showcased at the ongoing DefExpo 2018 at Hall 6, Stall 25 at Thiruvidanthai on East Coast Road (ECR). The GKSIR team will be taking potential investors through the salient points of the project and discuss potential opportunities for investments.

India is among the top five defence spenders in the world but due to an underdeveloped defence manufacturing sector, India is one of the largest importers of defence equipment in the world and approximately 60 per cent of the requirements are met through imports. Indigenisation of defence production is a key priority for the government.

The proposed defence manufacturing hub at GKSIR, Hosur, is a step towards making the Centre’s Make in India initiative, a reality. Under the ‘Make in India’ programme, the government has recently announced to establish a Defence Industrial Production Corridor (DIPC) in Nadu. This corridor will connect Hosur and Chennai with Kattupalli port, Chennai, Tiruchy, Coimbatore and Hosur as its key nodes and aims to provide impetus to the defence production industry in the country and in the region.