 "In pictures: PM Modi hands over battle tank Arjun Mark 1A to Army")
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday handed over the indigenously developed Arjun Main Battle Tank Mark 1A to the Indian Army.
The prime minister recited Bharatiyar poem in Tamil to highlight the importance of defence projects in the country. Modi handed over the tank to Army Chief General M.M. Naravane.
Fifteen academic institutions, eight labs and several MSMEs were also involved in the project. Modi also paid homage to CRPF personnel who lost their lives in the terror attack at Pulwama two years ago. "No Indian can forget this day. We pay homage to all the martyrs we lost in that attack," he said.
The Defence Ministry had recently cleared the induction of 118 Arjun Mark 1A tanks, costing about Rs 8,000 crore, into the Indian Army.
The prime minister said that now he sees the state evolving as the tank manufacturing hub.Stating that one of the two defence corridors is in Tamil Nadu, Modi said it already received an investment commitment of over Rs 8,100 crore.