The Ministry of Defence (MoD) on Monday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation Limited (TIDCO) to set up a state-of-the-art testing facility in the Mechanical and Material domain at the Tamil Nadu Defence Industrial Corridor in Tiruchirappalli. The initiative falls under the Defence Testing Infrastructure Scheme (DTIS).
The MoU was exchanged between senior officials of the MoD and TIDCO in the presence of Sanjeev Kumar, Secretary (Defence Production), Ministry of Defence.
With an outlay of ₹400 crore, the DTIS was launched by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to establish cutting-edge testing facilities in collaboration with private industry and Central/State governments.
Aimed at boosting the defence and aerospace sectors within the Defence Industrial Corridors, seven testing facilities have been approved—four in Tamil Nadu and three in Uttar Pradesh.
According to the MoD, the DTIS provides up to 75 percent government funding as ‘Grant-in-Aid’, while the remaining 25 percent is contributed by a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) comprising Indian private entities along with State and Central government participation.
For the Mechanical and Material domain testing facility, Micro Labs, a private entity, is the lead member of the SPV. Other members of the consortium include Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation Limited, Bharat Earth Movers Limited, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, and Vaidheswaran Industries.
Once completed, the facility will offer advanced testing equipment and services to both government and private sectors, thereby strengthening the vision of ‘Aatmanirbharta’ (self-reliance) in defence.