Hyderabad-based public sector undertaking Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) is ready with proposals worth Rs 34,000 crore during the 12th Five-Year Plan and 13th Five-Year Plan. These will result in the development of the areas as well as provide employment to the people, according to Union minister of state for defence M M Pallam Raju.
“Jobs in the defence establishments will be provided through nationwide competitive exams. Therefore, engineering colleges need to provide training to their students to compete in the exams,” he said.
Speaking at the foundation stone laying ceremony for the surface-to-air missile project organised by BDL here on Sunday, the minister hoped that BDL would achieve a turnover of $1 billion (approximately Rs 5,000 crore) in the next four to five years. “Missile units are being set up in Medak, Visakhapatnam and Ibrahimpatnam. The production of missiles will begin once the acceptancy tests are completed by the Army, Navy and Air Force at various levels. Cooperation is being taken from two countries for technology transfer,” Pallam Raju said.
Earlier, laying the foundation stone for the BDL’s project, chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy said four defence organisations were setting up nine units in the state with an outlay of Rs 7,000 crore. These units, which are under various stages of progress, will provide direct employment to 10,000 youth and an indirect employment to 25,000, he said.
These new units are being setting up by BDL (three), Bharat Electronics Limited (three), Electronics Corporation of India Limited (two) and Mishra Dhatu Nigam (one).