Lays foundation stone for 176 km long National Highway projects worth over Rs 5,550 crores
Lays foundation stone for Railway Manufacturing Unit in Kazipet worth over Rs 500 crores
Performs darshan & Puja at Bhadrakali Temple
“Capabilities of Telugu people have always enhanced the capabilities of India”
“The new youthful India of today is brimming with energy”
“Fast-paced development in India is impossible with obsolete infrastructure”
“Telangana is connecting surrounding economic centers and becoming a hub of economic activity”
“Manufacturing sector is becoming huge source of employment for youth”

My greetings to the people of Telangana!

Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan ji, my Union Cabinet colleague Nitin Gadkari ji, G Kishan Reddy ji, Sanjay ji, other dignitaries and my brothers and sisters of Telangana! Recently Telangana has completed 9 years of its formation. Telangana state may be new but the contribution of Telangana and its people to the history of India has always been huge. The capability of the Telugu people has always enhanced the strength of India. That's why Telangana has played a major role in improving India's position as the fifth largest economic power in the world. And in such a scenario where the whole world is coming forward to invest in India and there is a lot of enthusiasm about looking at a developed India, there are a plethora of opportunities in front of Telangana.

Friends,

Today's new India is a young India and an India full of energy. We have finally entered this golden period in the third decade of the 21st century. We must make full use of every second of this golden period. No part of the country should be left behind in terms of any possibility of rapid development. In order to strengthen these possibilities, in the last 9 years, the Government of India has paid special attention to the development of Telangana and its connectivity. In line with this, the foundation stone of projects worth Rs 6,000 crore related to connectivity and manufacturing in Telangana has been laid today. I congratulate the people of Telangana for all these projects.

Friends,

If there are new goals, new paths also need to be created. India's rapid development was not possible on the basis of old infrastructure. If more time is wasted in commuting, if logistics is expensive, then both businesses as well as the people suffer. That is why our government is working with more speed and scale than ever before. Today, work is being done several times faster than before for every type of infrastructure. Today, a network of highways, expressways, economic corridors, industrial corridors is being laid across the country. Two lane highways are being converted into four lanes and four lane highways are being converted into six lanes. 9 years back, the National Highway network of Telangana was only 2500 kms, while today it has increased to 5000 kms. Today, 2500 km of National Highway projects in Telangana are in different phases of construction. Many of the dozens of corridors being built in the country under the Bharatmala project pass through Telangana. There are several examples in front of us such as Hyderabad-Indore Economic Corridor, Surat-Chennai Economic Corridor, Hyderabad-Panaji Economic Corridor, Hyderabad-Vishakhapatnam Inter Corridor. In a way, Telangana is connecting the neighbouring economic centres and becoming a hub of economic activities.

Friends,

Today, the foundation stone of the Mancherial to Warangal section of the Nagpur-Vijayawada corridor has also been laid. It provides modern connectivity to Telangana till Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh. This will greatly reduce the distance between Mancherial and Warangal and also reduce the problem of traffic jams. It particularly passes through those areas where there was lack of development, and our tribal brothers and sisters live in large numbers. This corridor will also strengthen the vision of multimodal connectivity. Four-laning of the Karimnagar-Warangal section will also strengthen connectivity to the Hyderabad-Warangal Industrial Corridor, Kakatiya Mega Textile Park and Warangal SEZ.

Friends,

The connectivity that the Government of India is increasing in Telangana today, is benefitting the industries of Telangana as well as tourism here. There are many heritage centres and religious places in Telangana. It is now becoming more convenient to visit these places. The industries related to agriculture here, the granite industry of Karimnagar, are also benefitting from the efforts of the Government of India. That is, be it farmers or labourers, students or professionals, everyone is getting benefitted out of it. Consequently, the youngsters are also getting new opportunities of employment and self-employment close to their homes.

Friends,

Manufacturing sector is becoming another important medium of providing employment to the youths in the country. Make in India campaign is another such medium. We have started PLI scheme to encourage manufacturing in the country. That means the one who is manufacturing more is getting special assistance from the Government of India. Under this, more than 50 major projects are being implemented here in Telangana. You are aware of the fact that India has created a new record in defence exports this year. India's defense export was less than Rs 1000 crore about 9 years ago. Today it has crossed Rs 16 thousand crore. Bharat Dynamics Limited based in Hyderabad is also benefiting from this.

Friends,

Today Indian Railways is also setting new records and new milestones in terms of manufacturing. These days people are talking a lot about Made in India Vande Bharat trains. Over the years, Indian Railways has manufactured thousands of modern coaches and locomotives. With this revamp of Indian Railways, now Kazipet is also going to connect with the new zest of Make in India. Now every month dozens of wagons will be manufactured here. As a result, new employment opportunities will be created in this area and every family here will be benefitted in one way or the other. This itself is 'Sabka Sath Sabka Vikas'. We need to carry Telangana forward on this mantra of development. Once again, I congratulate all of you for these progressive projects, for the events and the new stream of development. My best wishes to you all! Thank you

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Aatmanirbharta in Defence: India First Soars as PM Modi Takes Flight in LCA Tejas
November 28, 2023

Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in Bengaluru today, as the state-run plane maker experiences exponential growth in manufacturing prowess and export capacities. PM Modi completed a sortie on the Indian Air Force's multirole fighter jet Tejas.

According to the latest reports, HAL has transformed into a formidable 1.35 lakh crore company under PM Modi's leadership. The fact that its share prices have multiplied by five times since 2013 stands as a testament to its remarkable growth. In addition to expanding its global footprint—such as the recent opening of a regional marketing office in Malaysia—HAL is also in the process of setting up a business division to boost exports.

The transformation of HAL, which is known as the backbone of the Indian Air Force, is part of a broader plan—Modi government’s resolute push towards Aatmanirbharta in defence. This thrust has combined multiple factors ranging from developing indigenous technologies, establishing a robust domestic manufacturing ecosystem, implementing structural reforms and enhancing overall combat strength.

Before 2014, the defence sector had been plagued by issues like lack of investment, stagnant innovation and research environment, and the absence of an overall vision to utilize the potential of a strategically important field. This led to an increased dependence on foreign imports for the country’s defence requirements. However, PM Modi's government's commitment to self-reliance in security and strategic capabilities has had a positive impact on the defence sector.

Along with Make in India, the Defence Acquisition Procedure (2020) has tremendously pushed domestic manufacturing by maximizing acquisition of defence equipment through indigenous sources. The government has also introduced four ‘positive indigenization lists’ of defence equipment and platforms besides earmarking separate funds for procurement from indigenous sources. Going further, two defence industrial corridors have been set up in Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu to catalyze indigenous production of defence and aerospace equipment.

A positive shift in India’s defence procurement behavior is evident:
• The expenditure on defence procurement from foreign sources has decreased from 46% in the fiscal year 2018-19 to 36% in the fiscal year 2021-22.
• Concurrently, the share of domestic procurement in the total procurement has seen an upward trend. It has risen from 59% in the fiscal year 2019-20 to 64% in the fiscal year 2020-21.
The changing dynamics in the FDI inflow in the defence sector are noteworthy:
• From 2001 to 2014 (14 years), the FDI flow was reported as Rs 1,382 crore.
• Since 2014 the FDI inflow has increased almost 2.5 times, amounting to Rs 3,378 crore.

The landscape of research and innovation has also undergone a profound shift, bringing in a new era of novelty and dynamism. Defence R&D, including DRDO test facilities, has been opened up for industry, startups and academia with 25% of defence R&D budget allocated for this purpose. Initiatives like iDEX engage startups, MSMEs, and individual innovators among others, and help activate the local industry and enterprise. An amount of Rs. 1,500 crores have also been earmarked towards procurement from start-ups, in particular. In addition, DRDO is involved in equipping the youth with relevant skills for defence industries.

The government’s concerted push has propelled us to a juncture where we are actively producing our own defence aircrafts and equipment. INS Vikrant, light combat aircraft Tejas, Akash and BrahMos missiles, main battle tank Arjun, artillery gun system Dhanush, and Pinaka rocket are among the many shining examples of India becoming self-reliant.

Defence exports have also registered an impressive eight-fold growth in the last six years—from Rs. 1,521 crores in 2016-17 to around Rs. 16,000 crores in 2022-23. Notably, the private sector contributes almost 70% of total exports. The recent deal with the Philippines for the export of indigenous BrahMos supersonic missiles attests to India’s potential and heightened credibility in defence exports.

In addition to these efforts, the government has addressed structural hindrances to the growth of the defence industry. Changes like introduction of Chief of Defence Staff and corporatization of the Ordnance Factory Board have been key in this area. Other reforms like One Rank One Pension and entry of women into combat roles have boosted social sentiment and expanded the potential recruiting pool by about 100%. In addition, the Vibrant Villages programme adds another layer to the government’s artillery towards building security infrastructure.

Most importantly, the surgical strikes after the Uri attack and the Balakot strike on terrorist camps inside Pakistan are not only unique reflections of PM Narendra Modi’s New India but also provide much-needed confidence to the armed forces to serve their country with vigor and valor.

All this has been made possible through a synergistic blend of historic decisions, calculated risks, and strategic reorganization. Laying out his vision for future, PM Modi has set out a target of achieving defence exports worth Rs. 35,000 crores in the next five years—making India a net exporter of defence equipment. As PM Modi punctuates India’s growth story with reforms and renewal, Aatmanirbharta in defence is a now living reality.