Lucknow, May 11 — Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday expressed optimism about Kanpur reclaiming its past industrial prominence, citing the development of the Defence Industrial Corridor as a transformative step.
Speaking virtually from Delhi at the inauguration of the BrahMos Aerospace Integration and Testing Facility in Uttar Pradesh's Defence Corridor, Singh said Kanpur, once dubbed the "Manchester of the East", is now on a promising path of economic resurgence.
“There was a time when Kanpur and nearby areas were well-known manufacturing hubs and were economically prosperous,” Singh remarked. “Post-independence, for various reasons, this region fell behind on the path of development. I won’t delve into those reasons, but I can affirm that the Defence Corridor has now set the stage for Kanpur to revive its former glory.”
Highlighting the potential of the city, he added, “Kanpur will rise to such levels of growth that one day, when a region in the West sees great development, people will refer to it as the ‘Kanpur of the West’.”
Singh also reiterated the government's commitment to advancing each node of the Defence Industrial Corridor, positioning it as a catalyst for regional and national economic growth.
The newly inaugurated BrahMos facility is expected to significantly boost local industrial capabilities and strengthen India's strategic defence manufacturing infrastructure.