A missile hub in Andhra

India’s missile power is set to get a boost with a surface-to-air missile unit ready to come up at a cost of Rs 30,000 crore at Ibrahimpatnam in Andhra Pradesh’s Rangareddy district. The foundation stone for the project, undertaken by Bharat Dynamics Ltd (BDL), was laid by chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy on Sunday. The infrastructure for the project, spread over 630 acres, will be ready in three years. Once ready, an estimated 6,000 missiles are expected to be produced at the unit. Moreover, missile production will go up as project capacity is expanded to keep up with the demand for missiles. M Pallam Raju, minister of state for defence, said that the project cost would be allocated in the 12th and 13th Plans. Project developer BDL’s turnover is also expected to go up from Rs 1,000 crore to Rs 5,000 crore once production begins at the unit. The new unit will also help create 1,000 officer-level jobs. Manpower from educational institutions, Pallam Raju said, should be churned out as per industry requirements to enable the local population to benefit from the project and find employment at the unit.