New Delhi (NVI): Defence Minister Rajnath Singh today unveiled India’s first indigenously developed ‘Driverless Metro Car’ for Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) at BEML’s manufacturing facility in Bengaluru.
According to an official statement, the indigenously designed and developed state-of-the-art ‘Driverless Metro’ trains are being manufactured at BEML Bengaluru Complex.
Speaking on the occasion, Rajnath said MMRDA project has 63 per cent indigenous content which will enhance to 75 per cent in next two to three years.
“This reflects Indian Industry’s overwhelming response to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Atmanairbhar Bharat Abhiyan call,” he was quoted as saying in the statement.
The minister added that this driver-less metro project will act as a source of inspiration to other Indian companies, particularly the defence industry to help India emerge as a manufacturing hub which, in turn, will fulfil USD 5 billion defence export target and USD 25 billion defence industry turn over by 2025.
He also said that Ministry of Defence has taken a number of steps like introducing Defence Production and Export Promotion Policy (DPEPP) 2020 and new Defence Acquisition Policy incorporating provisions for purchasing equipment and platforms with more indigenous technology.
During the event, citing the government’s recent decision to procure 83 Tejas fighter aircrafts from HAL, Rajnath said that it will create over 50,000 new job opportunities and about 500 Indian companies including MSMEs as well as private companies will get a business boost with the HAL’s Tejas project.
He further expressed hope that MMRDA driver-less technology will lead to its expansion into other fields of defence such as tanks and fighter planes in the future.
While appreciating BEML, the minister termed the company as a true ‘Atmanirbhar Warrior’ and expressed his happiness that the COVID-19 pandemic, which has halted progress across the world, has had almost no impact on the production activities of BEML and DPSUs.
At the event, Chairman & Managing Director, BEML Deepak Kumar Hota also said,” Defence Minister’s visit is a true reflection of the unstinted support and encouragement that he is providing to BEML.”
“BEML’s foray into metro manufacturing has been a defining moment for the urban transportation scenario in India,” he added.
Rajnath also virtually launched the Aerospace Assembly Hangar, situated within BEML’s Bangalore Complex, and unveiled first indigenously manufactured Tatra Cabin by BEML.
Secretary, Defence Production Raj Kumar and other senior officials of MoD and BEML were also present on the occasion.
-RJV
