Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA) and Midhani Group on Thursday signed an MoU in the presence of Chief Secretary Manoj Kumar Singh to establish defence testing infrastructure in the Lucknow node of the UP Defence Industrial Corridor. This defence testing infrastructure has been named Advanced Material (Defence) Testing Foundation. The chief secretary said: Uttar Pradesh is playing a pivotal role in bolstering the nations defence industry infrastructure while striving to become a global hub for defence manufacturing and innovation. The Lucknow node is an important part of the Defence Corridor, and a significant MoU has been inked between UPEIDA and Midhani Group to establish a material testing facility here. He highlighted that the construction of this defence testing infrastructure, first in the state and second in the country, would propel the Aatma Nirbhar Bharat campaign. The mechanical and material testing facility will not only enhance Indias defence manufacturing infrastructure and promote innovation but will also position Uttar Pradesh as a key defence sector hub. The foundation will not only help improve products of the industries being set up in the Defence Corridor, but also in marketing the, after certification. Additionally, metal industries and MSMEs in Aligarh and Moradabad will also benefit from this development. The governments objective behind the move is to create greenfield defence testing infrastructure (required for A&D related production) as a common facility for manufacturing, research and development and technology in the defence sector. UPEIDA has been appointed as the implementing authority for this initiative, tasked with ensuring the timely completion and efficient operation of the defence testing infrastructure. During the signing of the MoU, Midhani Group CMD SK Jha and Additional CEO UPDA Haripratap Shahi along with other officials were present. UP, TN have defence industrial corridors India is rapidly emerging as a significant aerospace and defence market globally, with anticipated requirements exceeding US $250 billion by 2025. The aerospace and defence (A&D) manufacturing sectors have been identified as focus areas under the Make in India initiative. Under this, the Ministry of Defence has established defence industrial corridors in Uttar Pradesh (UP DIC) and Tamil Nadu (TN DIC). Uttar Pradesh Defence Industrial Corridor (UP DIC) has been established by the state government. The primary objective of this corridor is to accelerate the Make in India programme within the defence sector, fostering indigenous defence production. This initiative aims to reduce the countrys dependency on imported military equipment significantly.

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