Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa announced the formalisation of a new aerospace and defence policy while presenting the state budget which he and officials said will substantially revamp the industry ecosystem.
Yediyurappa said that the new policy will help Karnataka maintain its edge in the aerospace and defence sector. “We have the credit of having declared an aerospace policy in 2013, the first in the country. Karnataka has a share of more than 65% of the exports of defence and aerospace sector. To maintain this lead in this sector and to give attention towards indigenous production under the Atma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan, a new aerospace and defence policy will be announced,” he announced in the budget speech.
Industries secretary Gaurav Gupta specified that the new policy will include changes in line with demands from industries. Gupta acknowledged that several issues had cropped up since the formulation of the now nine-year-old aerospace and defence policy.
“Now, there is an increased focus on Aatma Nirbhar Bharat which means supporting great levels of indigenisation, especially when it comes to the LCA Tejas and other high-profile aircraft projects, but also upcoming smaller technologies such as drones,” he said.
Gunjan Krishna, commissioner, Industrial Development and director, said the new policy will be in line with reforms introduced by the central government. “In a way, the policy is intended to make the state more competitive, but not necessarily to the point that Karnataka will be in direct competition with states. We are aiming to provide the framework that will enable ease of business,” Krishna explained.
Gupta pointed out that Karnataka’s aerospace and defence ecosystem has already attained a high level of maturity when compared to that of the other states. “We have to look at the larger scale when it comes to the new policy but also MSMEs, including startups. One major focus area is the space industry,” he said.
The officials said that the state is still about two to three months away from finalising the policy. “We require consultations with stakeholders and members of the industry. This is ongoing. The policy will be rolled out rapidly,” Gupta said.
In the budget, the chief minister also announced a grant of Rs 2 crore to improve infrastructure at the Government Flying Training School at Jakkur.