During a demonstration at the event. (Express Photo by Vishal Srivastav)
CLAIMING THAT Uttar Pradesh would be the new hub of defence production, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath Saturday said the Defence Expo 2020 is a ‘Mahakumbh’ with reference to defence equipment manufacturing companies’ gathering and though this event we all witnessed the valour and pride of India.
Addressing the closing ceremony of the Defence Expo in the presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, he said “no one should question the ability of Uttar Pradesh any more” and claimed that Defence Ministers of nearly 40 countries, more than 3,000 foreign delegates from 70 countries and more than 1,000 delegates from the country participated in the event.
“In the past two-and-half years, we got the opportunity to host several events. In 2018 February, we hosted the first Investors Summit in the history of Uttar Pradesh. People had a perception that no one will come to invest in UP but I feel glad to tell that we had investment proposals of Rs 5 lakh crore in which proposals of Rs 2.5 lakh crore have been successfully implemented on ground. Within six months of the Investors Summit, we organised the ground-breaking ceremony. Implementing projects of around Rs 65,000 crore on ground within six months is an accomplishment,” said Adityanath.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in Lucknow on Saturday. (Express Photo by Vishal Srivastav)
He said that in January this year, there was National youth Festival organised in Lucknow in which more than 7,000 youths from all over the country and the government also successfully organised ‘Prayagraj Kumbh’, the world’s largest social, cultural and spiritual event.
“Whether it is ‘Pravasi Bharatiya Sammelan’ or any other event, we successfully organised all the programmes. The Common Wealth Parliamentary Association was also organised here on January 16-17. In addition, our government also organized ‘Ganga Yatra’ to connect Ganga with faith and economy,” he said, adding that team Uttar Pradesh, along with the Ministry of Defence, has taken the Defence Expo to a “new level of success.”
According to a statement issued by the state media department, during the programme, 23 MoUs were inked with the state government and government has received proposals for investment worth around Rs 50,000 crore which would generate employment opportunities for over 3 lakh youth in the state.
Addressing the event, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said that by successfully organising Kumbh, Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, National Youth Festival and Defence Expo, Uttar Pradesh has proved that it is not an ordinary state, and it has remarkable potential. He said that the unprecedented success of the country’s largest defence expo is a symbol of the hopes and aspirations of all the countrymen towards ‘defence’.
“This event has shown that the new India is ready to move forward with the major powers of the world. In the coming times, our country will become a major center of global defence manufacturing. More than 200 MoUs were signed during this expo which created a new history,” he said, adding that this exhibition is a ‘success’ for the Indian defence manufacturing sector.”