THEBUSINESSBYTES BUREAU

KORAPUT, OCTOBER 6, 2026

Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Tuesday proposed the establishment of another defence manufacturing unit in the State, saying the rapid growth of industries such as metal downstream, semiconductors and IT was creating a strong ecosystem capable of supporting defence production and strengthening Odisha’s position as a major industrial and defence hub.

Majhi made the proposal while speaking at a function at the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) manufacturing unit at Sunabeda in Koraput district, where Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and the Chief Minister jointly inaugurated the second manufacturing line for the Shakti engine. The 2,000th engine manufactured at the Sunabeda facility was also symbolically handed over to the Indian Air Force.

The Chief Minister said Odisha was witnessing the emergence of a “new industrial revolution”, with a comprehensive ecosystem developing from metals to semiconductors. Stressing the importance of indigenous technology and self-reliance in India’s defence sector, he said the State government was committed to developing Odisha into one of the country’s leading industrial and defence hubs.

Singh, addressing the gathering, said he felt he was not attending the event merely as a guest but as a member of the HAL family.

He said the Koraput facility, together with the defence and naval ecosystem in Visakhapatnam, had the potential to create a new industrial and strategic identity for eastern India.

HAL had been manufacturing engines for frontline aircraft since 1964 and had transformed its Koraput establishment from merely a factory into a key centre of the country’s aerospace propulsion ecosystem, he said.

“HAL Sunabeda has an important role in India’s defence sector and has today emerged as a centre of the country’s aerospace propulsion ecosystem,” Singh said.

The Defence Minister also underlined Odisha’s growing importance in the country’s defence sector. He said the State’s strategic location along India’s eastern coast, its long coastline, major ports, abundant mineral resources, engineering capabilities, industrial infrastructure and skilled manpower had provided a strong foundation for its emergence as an important centre for defence production and technology.

Majhi described the inauguration of the second Shakti engine manufacturing line and the handing over of the 2,000th engine as a significant symbol of India’s growing defence capabilities.

The new manufacturing line, intended for engines for light helicopters, will have the capacity to produce 100 Shakti engines annually.

At the same time, the production capacity for the AL-31FP engine is being increased from 30 to 50 engines a year, the Chief Minister said.

The HAL Koraput division is currently implementing projects involving an investment of ₹1,600 crore, which, Majhi said, was a matter of pride for the people of Odisha.

He said the Koraput division had made an unparalleled contribution to the country’s security over the past six decades.

Highlighting the State’s industrialisation drive, Majhi said Odisha had received industrial proposals worth around ₹22.5 lakh crore since the BJP-led “double-engine” government came to power. Of these, proposals involving ₹12.5 lakh crore had already been approved, he said.

As many as 152 industries involving investments of more than ₹3 lakh crore had already achieved grounding, generating around 2.50 lakh employment opportunities, according to the Chief Minister.

Industrial development was no longer confined to a handful of districts and efforts were under way to establish industries across all districts of the State, he said.

Majhi also highlighted the State government’s efforts to promote the semiconductor industry.

The Odisha Silicon Valley is being established over 870 acres at Naraj, while projects such as SiCSEM and 3DGS are under construction. These initiatives, he said, would play an important role in strengthening India’s self-reliance in the semiconductor sector.

The Chief Minister said the development of metal downstream industries, semiconductor manufacturing and IT would create a wider industrial ecosystem that could also support the production of defence equipment.

The proposed additional defence manufacturing unit, he suggested, would build on this emerging ecosystem and further consolidate Odisha’s role in India’s defence manufacturing landscape.

Nabarangpur MP Balabhadra Majhi; Kotpad MLA Rupu Bhatra; Laxmipur MLA Pabitra Saunta; Koraput MLA Raghuram Machha; Department of Defence Production Secretary Sanjeev Kumar; HAL Chairman and Managing Director K. Ravi; Deputy Chief of the Air Staff (DCAS), Air Marshal Tej Pal Singh; and Koraput Collector Manoj Satyavan Mahajan were among those present.