Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Spanish counterpart Pedro Sanchez are scheduled to inaugurate the Tata Aircraft Complex for C-295 aircraft production in Gujarat’s Vadodara on Monday, making it the first private sector final assembly line for military aircraft in India.Marking a significant milestone in India’s “Make in India” defence vision, 56 aircraft have been planned under the C-295 programme, of which 16 are being delivered directly by Airbus from Spain and the remaining 40 are to be made in India at the Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL).Ahead of the inauguration of the defense facility, two leaders will lead a roadshow stretching up to 2.5 km from the airport to the Tata Advanced Systems hub on Monday morning.
India Ramps Up Defense ProductionA total of 40 aircraft will be built at the Vadodara facility as part of the agreement, while aviation behemoth Airbus will deliver 16 aircraft directly. It will involve the full development of a complete ecosystem, from manufacture to assembly, test and qualification, to delivery and maintenance of the complete life cycle of the aircraft.Apart from the Tatas, leading defence public sector units, such as Bharat Electronics and Bharat Dynamics, as well as private micro, small and medium enterprises will contribute to this programme.
Modi laid the foundation stone for the Vadodara final assembly line in October 2022.Vadodara Gears Up To Welcome Both LeadersAfter inaugurating the aircraft complex, officials said Modi and Sanchez would visit the iconic Laxmi Vilas Palace, the residence of the erstwhile Baroda royal family, where they would hold a bilateral meeting over lunch.“On Monday morning, the two PMs will hold a joint roadshow along the route from the airport to the Tata Advanced System facility with cultural shows being organised en route,” said Vadodara MP Hemang Joshi.Vadodara city police conducted ground rehearsals on the roadshow route with 70 vehicles and along the 10-km route from the Tata facility to Laxmi Vilas Palace.“The two leaders will hold a bilateral meeting organised by the Ministry of External Affairs at the Laxmi Vilas Palace.
They will have lunch at the palace before proceeding to their respective destinations,” officials added.Sanchez, initially scheduled to reach Vadodara by 10 pm on Sunday, landed after midnight, a senior officer said. #WATCH | Gujarat: Spain President Pedro Sánchez arrived in Vadodara, marking the first visit by a Spanish President to India in nearly two decades. pic.twitter.com/ahcK7FZEFH— ANI (@ANI) October 27, 2024Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic), Jyoti Patel said a notification on the diversion of routes for Sunday night stood cancelled in view of the Spanish PM’s late-night arrival.
The city traffic police have issued an order regarding the diversion of routes for Monday in view of the movement of VVIPs, she said.The TATA Aircraft Complex will be inaugurated by two PMs at around 10 AM.After visiting the Laxmi Vilas Palace, Modi will travel to Amreli where at around 2:45 PM, he will inaugurate Bharat Mata Sarovar at Dudhala. At around 3 PM, he will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of various development projects of over Rs 4,800 crores at Lathi, Amreli, as per a PMO release.The “Bharat Mata” Sarovar project was developed through a collaboration between the state government and the Dholakia Foundation under the public-private partnership (PPP) model.
