Lucknow: Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) plans to invest over Rs 600 crore in setting up a defence manufacturing facility at the Chitrakoot node of the UP Defence Industrial Corridor.The high-level empowered committee (HLEC), chaired by chief secretary SP Goyal, has approved a proposal for providing a “Letter of Comfort” to the Navratna defence public sector undertaking for the project, said a govt spokesman.The proposal will now be placed before the state cabinet for approval. Following cabinet clearance, the Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA) will issue the Letter of Comfort to BEL.The facility will manufacture radar and air defence systems and have capabilities for programmes including the Quick Reaction Surface-to-Air Missile, Kusha Air Defence System and next-generation radar systems. It will also house a dedicated maintenance, repair and overhaul facility.UPEIDA has already allotted 75 hectares of land to BEL at the Chitrakoot node. Govt said the project is expected to generate more than 300 direct high-skilled jobs, besides creating indirect employment and business opportunities for defence-sector MSMEs and ancillary units.
