Kerala CM urges Centre to preserve BrahMos Aerospace

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan wrote to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday seeking the retention of the BrahMos Aerospace facility in Thiruvananthapuram.

In a letter to the defence minister, Vijayan expressed concern over the Union government’s alleged plan to merge BrahMos Aerospace Thiruvananthapuram Limited (BATL) with the parent company, BrahMos Aerospace Private Limited, citing its importance to local industrial development and its partnerships with ISRO and DRDO.

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Highlighting the pivotal role played by BATL in supporting key institutions like ISRO and DRDO, he noted that the workforce fears a production halt in case BATL is detached.

BATL became a major player in India’s defence manufacturing sector after the state’s flagship engineering firm, Kerala Hi-Tech Industries Limited (KELTEC), was transferred to BrahMos Aerospace Private Limited in 2007

Stating that protecting and promoting indigenous manufacturing systems is essential to industrial development in the state, the chief minister, in his letter, urged the defence minister to retain the BrahMos manufacturing system in Thiruvananthapuram and to cancel the moves to separate BATL from its parent company.