UPDIC Investment: The Uttar Pradesh Defence Industrial Corridor (UPDIC) is growing very fast and has already pulled in investment promises of almost ₹30,000 crore. The corridor has six important places or “nodes” Kanpur, Jhansi, Lucknow, Aligarh, Agra, and Chitrakoot. Out of these, Kanpur and Jhansi are doing the best. Kanpur has got proposals worth ₹12,683 crore and Jhansi has ₹9,139 crore.
Aligarh and Lucknow have also managed to get good amounts, ₹3,419 crore and ₹2,611 crore, while Agra and Chitrakoot have pulled in ₹709 crore and ₹180 crore, which are smaller but still important.
The UPDIC has given out about 1,000 hectares of land to 57 companies so far. The corridor is being developed by the Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA), and it is a big part of the Indian government’s plan to make more defence equipment in India itself.
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A report by UPEIDA on March 19, 2025, said that UPDIC got investment proposals adding up to ₹28,761.88 crore. The corridor has already secured 2,001.27 hectares of land, and out of that, 923.24 hectares have been given to industries, reports The Statesman.
Many big companies have even started production. Adani Defence Systems and Technologies Ltd put ₹1,500 crore into building South Asia’s biggest integrated ammunition plant in Kanpur.
In Aligarh, Amitec Electronic Ltd, with ₹330 crore investment, and Werywin Defence Pvt Ltd, with ₹65 crore investment, have started working on electronic warfare, satellite systems, and small arms. Kanpur has also welcomed Adhunik Material and Sciences Pvt Ltd with a ₹35 crore investment and A.R Polymers Pvt Ltd with ₹48 crore, who are making defence textiles and ballistic polymer materials.
Government Push Giving More Strength to the Corridor
The government is helping a lot to make the corridor successful. One of the big pushes is the UP A&D Unit Employment Promotion Policy 2024 that was launched on January 24, 2025. It wants to create more jobs in the defence and aerospace sectors. The Defence Testing Infrastructure Scheme (DTIS) is another important step. With ₹400 crore in hand, this scheme is setting up world-class testing facilities in Kanpur and Lucknow.
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Research work is also going strong. Centres of Excellence have been set up at IIT Kanpur and IIT BHU to do smart research work and fill important gaps in defence technology. The Defence Technology and Test Centre (DTTC) in Lucknow is also helping in training and testing new systems.
Talking about all these developments, Nand Gopal Nandi, who is the UP Minister of Industrial Development and Investment Promotion, said, “UPDIC’s six strategic nodes will not only strengthen India’s defence manufacturing ecosystem but also play a transformative role in driving economic development across their respective regions while generating large-scale employment opportunities for the local population.”
Several big companies are setting up strong bases here. Global Engineers Ltd is putting ₹2,254 crore into Jhansi to make nitrocellulose, single-base propellants, and other related products.
Ancor Research Labs is setting up a unit with ₹550 crore in Aligarh to make drones and electronic warfare equipment and is expected to start working by mid-2026. Bharat Dynamics Ltd (BDL) is investing ₹400 crore to open a missile propulsion plant. NextStrat Tech Vision LLP is also putting ₹400 crore to make 155 mm shells, solid propellants, and TNT filling.
