Defence Manufacturing Industry To Set Up In Odisha

The defence ministry and Tata Steel are planning to set up a defence manufacturing unit at Gopalpur in Odisha. The unit will come up at Tata Steel’s multi-product SEZ at Gopalpur in Ganjam district.

“The Centre has planned to set up a defence manufacturing unit with the help of Tata at the company’s acquired land at Gopalpur in Ganjam district,” oil minister Dharmendra Pradhan said.

Pradhan said that his ministry had decided to establish a skill development centre at Bhubaneswar which would be the Centre of Excellence in the eastern region. Other ministries would set up around 30 such centres in the state to improve the skill of youth, he added.

Pradhan blamed Odisha for the delay in setting up the Posco project and recommending mines in favour of the South Korean steel major.

Disclosing that Odisha had recommended mines in favour of Posco to the Centre just three days before the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Ordinance was issued, he wondered why the state did not recommend the mines 2 years earlier. On the issue of establishment of IIM in Odisha, he said the state should not indulge in politics over finalising its proposed campus site.