The far-flung, parched, remote and most inaccessible Udayagiri constituency in SPSR Nellore district, which is considered the district’s backyard, is all set to become the defence fortress of the country.

In view of its upland topography, the constituency has lagged behind the rest for decades in terms of water availability, agricultural productivity and employment until the new ₹2,245-crore proposal to establish a Defence Cluster came to the fore.

The proposal includes establishment of manufacturing facilities of five defence and aerospace companies in Duttalur mandal, with an estimated potential of creating 3,200 jobs.

The ammunition and missile manufacturing corridor is expected to be a game-changer for the region, with Premier Explosives Limited (PEL), a Hyderabad-based supplier of solid propellants for Akash and Astra missile programmes, set to become the anchor for the ₹500-crore integrated explosives facility spread across 450 acres.

“Under the Prime Minister’s flagship project Atmanirbhar Bharat, the Udayagiri region will get the break it deserves for long. Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu’s keenness in getting the flow of investments into the State has made our efforts easy,” says Member of Parliament (Nellore) Vemireddy Prabhakar Reddy.

Similarly, Anadrone Systems, Gurugram, is coming up with a ₹221 crore project to manufacture tactical unmanned aerial systems in 350 acres at Papampalle village. This includes ‘Abhay’ anti-radar decoy swarm drones, electronic fuse-filling systems and large-calibre warheads for the Indian armed forces.

Ananth Technologies Limited (ATL) of ISRO’s former scientist Pavuluri Subba Rao will anchor the electronics and defence systems segment on its ₹1,000-crore facility spread across 300 acres. Similarly, RR Industries associated with ISRO and DRDO projects is coming up with ₹25-crore aerospace composites and rocket motor casing unit.

Meanwhile, Aditya Precitech Private Limited plans a ₹500-crore unit to manufacture advanced components for major defence public sector enterprises.

“What Udayagiri is known for will become a thing of the past. From now, our constituency will be the nation’s guardian,” observes Udayagiri MLA Kakarla Suresh.

“We are ready to offer all support to the companies and create a new defence ecosystem in what used to be known as a dry belt,” avers Collector Himanshu Shukla.