GUWAHATI: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Friday, July 26 that Defence Minister Rajnath Singh was very positive about setting up a defence corridor in the state.
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Talking to the media in Guwahati, Sarma said that the corridor will be confined to only a specific region and not the entire state. However, the priority for establishing a defence industry is to demarcate a ‘defence corridor’.
Sarma said, “Rajnath Singh ji is very positive about setting up a defence corridor in the state. After Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, the issue of setting up one in Assam is now gaining momentum. The defence industry will be made only in a specific region and not the entire state."
“The first priority for establishing a defence industry is demarcation of a ‘corridor’. Only then we can ask private industries to invest in our state. The proposed defence corridor will boost local manufacturing and create job opportunities in the region,” Sarma added.
Sarma met Rajnath Singh in New Delhi on July 23 and discussed about establishing the defence corridor.
Defence Industrial Corridors (DICs) in the country were set up in states like Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu - Uttar Pradesh Defence Industrial Corridor (UPDIC) and Tamil Nadu Defence Industrial Corridor (TNDIC) with an aim to attract investment of about ₹10,000 crore in each corridor. Assam is a state which requires investment in the industrial sector for development and may be considered as a potential state for the corridor in upcoming future.