Centre open to considering Andhra Pradesh for Tejas expansion plans

Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu met Union defence minister Rajnath Singh on Friday to pitch a series of defence-linked investments in the state. The proposals, seen as part of Naidu's broader industrial development push, were detailed in an ET report on Saturday.

Sources told ET that the Centre has given a "patient hearing" to Naidu and is open to exploring several of the ideas as part of future defence planning.

Among the proposals, Naidu suggested expanding Hindustan Aeronautics Limited's (HAL) Tejas manufacturing capability in Andhra Pradesh. Currently, HAL operates three Tejas production lines-two in Bengaluru and one in Nashik. While these meet existing requirements, sources said Andhra's bid could be considered if expansion is warranted in the future.


The Centre has shown more immediate interest in another proposal-capital investment in Bharat Electronics Limited's (BEL) Defence Systems Integration Complex (DSIC) in Anantapur. According to government officials, the project will be developed in two phases. Phase-I has already received board approval and is underway. An in-principle nod for Phase-II has also been granted, with execution to begin after Phase-I is complete.