In its bid to make the 11th edition of the Defence Expo-2020 the biggest such event, the state government along with the Central government is leaving no stone unturned to achieve the goal. In addition, defence ministers of 25 countries have so far agreed to attend the Expo, which will be held on around 200 acres of land from February 5 to February 9. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh along with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had on Sunday reviewed the preparations for the Expo. While the main theme of the defence corridor is “India, The Emerging Defense Hub”, the focus would also be on “Digital Transformation of Defence”. Several countries are expected to showcase their state-of-the-art technologies. Singh was informed that about 925 exhibitors have already booked spots; 150 of them are foreign exhibitors. A government spokesperson said that of the 925, as many as 755 are Indian companies. Of the total Indian companies, 223 belong to Micro, Small and Medium Industries (MSME). The Indian companies will be given a 50 per cent concession for purchase of land. The state government is also preparing a “tent city”, which is being developed at Vrindawan Development Scheme on the outskirts of Lucknow. The “tent city” is likely to have 1,000 super deluxe and deluxe tents for guests. The government is also preparing for different events on the banks of Gomti River. The state is expecting that countries such as America, Russia, France, South Korea, Israel, Sweden and Britain will showcase their latest technologies in the defence sector during the event. In 2018, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had inaugurated Uttar Pradesh Investors’ Summit, where he announced construction of a defence corridor in the state. The Expo will have several pavillions, while the one for the state will focus on the Uttar Pradesh defence corridor project among other things. The Uttar Pradesh Defence Industrial Corridor would pass through Lucknow, Kanpur, Agra, Aligarh, Jhansi and Chitrakoot. As per the latest progress report, the work is going on to acquire about 3,000 hectares of land for the project, which would be developed along the Bundelkhand Expressway connecting Chitrakoot in Bundelkhand to Agra in western Uttar Pradesh. On Sunday, Joint Secretary (Defence) Chandrakar Bharti had said that the last Defence Expo in Chennai covered 80 acres, while this time the site is spread over 200 acres. “While there were 40 MOUs signed in Chennai, more than 65 are expected here. At the event, there will be a separate hangar, called India Pavillion, which will be spread over 2,500 square metres. Around 200 companies will participate in this and focus on ‘Digital Transformation of Defence’,” said Bharti. He added that invitations have been sent to chiefs of staff and Army Chiefs of 135 countries; of them, 70 have given confirmation. Defence Ministers of 25 countries have agreed to attend to the event.
