Assam on way to become a defence manufacturing hub

Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI: Assam today hosted a high-level workshop on defence manufacturing, giving a boost to the dream of making Assam a defence manufacturing hub.

The likes of Additional Secretary (Defence Production) Disnesh Mahur, DDG of the Ministry of Defence Manish Chand Sribastav, representatives of Adani Defence and Aerospace Group, researchers of IIT Guwahati, and representatives of companies engaged in defence manufacturing.

The state government adopted the Assam Aerospace and Defence Manufacturing Policy, 2025, to establish Assam as a major hub of defence manufacturing by leveraging its strategic location and infrastructure. Assam's geographical location, serving as the gateway to Southeast Asia, provides a strategic advantage for exporting defence products.

Speaking at the workshop, State Industries Minister Bimal Borah said, "Let today's discussion be the roadmap. Let this roadmap become action, and let this action help Assam take its rightful place in India's defence manufacturing journey. If defence manufacturing grows in Assam, India's eastern and north-eastern security architecture will be stronger. We need support from the Ministry of Defence and the government of India to make Assam a defence manufacturing destination."

On May 31 this year, Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma met Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and discussed the defence manufacturing sector in Assam. The Chief Minister focused on positioning Assam as a key player in India's defence ecosystem, in line with the centre's push for self-reliant defence production under the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative. On June 12, 2026, a notification from the Ministry of Rural Development stated, "The central government has notified that the Ministry of Defence shall authorise the acquisition of 333 acres of private land at Hattigor in the Udalguri district for the establishment of a key location plan to locate units of the Artillery Brigade at military stations."

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