Sunabeda (Koraput): While inaugurating the second manufacturing line for Shakti engines at the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) manufacturing unit in Sunabeda, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said the Koraput facility, together with the defence and naval ecosystem in Visakhapatnam, could create a new industrial and strategic identity for eastern India.

Singh along with Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi also symbolically handed over the 2,000th engine manufactured at the Sunabeda HAL unit to the Indian Air Force (IAF) during the occasion.

Rajnath Singh said he felt like a member of the HAL family rather than a guest at the event.

The Defence Minister also underlined Odisha's growing importance in India's defence sector. He said the state's geographical location on India's eastern coast, long coastline, major ports, mineral resources, engineering capabilities, industrial infrastructure and skilled workforce provide a strong foundation for defence manufacturing and technology development.

He highlighted HAL’s contribution to India’s aerospace sector, noting the organisation has been manufacturing engines for frontline aircraft since 1964. He said the Koraput facility has evolved beyond being merely a factory to become a key centre of India's aerospace propulsion ecosystem.

Majhi, meanwhile, proposed setting up another defence manufacturing unit in Odisha, while reiterating the state government's commitment to developing Odisha as a major industrial and defence hub.

He described the inauguration of the second Shakti engine manufacturing line and the handover of the 2,000th engine as symbols of India's growing defence capabilities.

He said HAL’s Koraput division is currently implementing projects worth around Rs 1,600 crore, describing the development as a matter of pride for Odisha.

The Chief Minister said industrial development was no longer confined to a few districts and that efforts were underway to establish industries across the state.

Several dignitaries attended the programme, including Nabarangpur MP Balabhadra Majhi, Kotpad MLA Rupu Bhatra, Laxmipur MLA Pabitra Saunta, Koraput MLA Raghuram Machha, Secretary of the Department of Defence Production Sanjeev Kumar, HAL Chairman and Managing Director K. Ravi, Deputy Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Tej Pal Singh and Koraput Collector Manoj Satyavan Mahajan.

Senior scientists, engineers, officials and employees of HAL were also present.