UP Defence Corridor Project In Bundelkhand To Generate 2.5 Lakh Jobs, Push State Towards $1 Trillion Economy Goal

The UP-Defence Corridor (UPDC) project announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in February 2018 at the UP Investors Summit has begun to acquire land at four nodes, reports Financial Express.

Located in the arid Bundelkhand region, the infrastructure corridor is expected to attract investments of Rs 20,000 crore and create employment for 2.5 lakh people.

Bundelkhand was chosen because of the availability of land and the existence of a strong ancillary base in the region.

Awanish Kumar Awasthi, Additional Chief Secretary & CEO, Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA) said, “Almost 3,788 hectares of land is to be acquired across 4 nodes as part of Phase I, out of which over 1,455 hectares have been identified in Jhansi, Kanpur, Chitrakoot and Aligarh. Of this, around 1,200 hectares have already been acquired, mainly in Jhansi, Aligarh and Chitrakoot.”.

The idea behind UPDC is to promote indigenisation and support the Make in India initiative.

The recently concluded DefExpo 2020 saw MoUs worth Rs 50,000 signed by 23 companies with the UP state government.

When Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath presented the 2020-21 budget, he said the project would help the state become a $1-trillion economy by 2024.