Defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday described Uttar Pradesh’s clinching of the defence corridor “as a historical synergy between the centre and the state.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had on Wednesday, while inaugurating the UP Investors Summit in Lucknow, declared that the country’s second defence equipment manufacturing corridor would be established in UP. He had said that the corridor, with an investment of about Rs 20,000 crore, would create 2.5 lakh new jobs.
“In 18 days flat, it (corridor allotment) came about,” Sitharaman said and went on to tell about it in an anecdotal manner.
“The day after the budget, Yogiji met me in Delhi. It was February 2. He came to invite me to this investment summit. In a passing reference, I mentioned that the budget proposed two defence industrial corridors in the country. Yogiji asked, with a little hesitation, if UP could get one? I said if UP is interested or if it can show interest, then we might be able to do something,” she narrated the Delhi dialogue.
Sitharaman added: “But I could not have promised anything at that stage. Then I immediately told the Prime Minister that the UP CM had shown interest in getting the corridor and has made a request. The PM said: ‘Just go ahead on it immediately and do whatever is required.’ At this, I discussed with the issue with the defence secretary.”
Sitaraman further said: “Normally, the bureaucracy doesn’t work the way it did this time. With the PM’s go-ahead, the centre’s bureaucracy swung into action. In UP, the CM energised his bureaucracy. Generally the bureaucracy believes in working out a detailed plan … But for this, they set this aside and began shuttling between Delhi and Lucknow began. They worked with such speed and synergy that just 18 days later, the PM could announce the second corridor with details.”
She said Bundelkhand will benefit from the corridor when the units will start coming up along the Bundelkhand Expressway. “When investment will happen, people of Bundelkhand will benefit,” she said. (With HT)
