Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh Defence Industrial Corridor (UPDIC), one of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s most ambitious projects, is rapidly taking concrete shape and positioning the state as a major hub for defence manufacturing. So far, land has been allotted to 62 companies across the corridor, paving the way for nearly ₹12,000 crore in investment and the creation of over 14,000 direct jobs.
Launched with the vision of making India self-reliant in defence and aerospace manufacturing, the corridor has witnessed steady progress. A total of 977.54 hectares of land has already been allotted to these companies, while Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with several more firms are in advanced stages. In the pipeline are proposals from 110 additional companies, which are expected to bring investments of around ₹23,000 crore and generate over 38,000 jobs.
Over 2,040 Hectares of Land Acquired
The Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA) has approved more than 2,097 hectares of land across six nodes of the corridor—Aligarh, Kanpur, Lucknow, Jhansi, Chitrakoot and Agra. Of this, over 2,040 hectares have already been acquired, while 1,598.92 hectares are currently available for allotment.
Aligarh has emerged as the leading node in terms of the number of companies, with land allotted to 24 firms. Kanpur has seen the largest land allocation, with over 210 hectares allotted to five companies. Jhansi has allotted around 571 hectares to 17 companies, while Lucknow has allocated more than 131 hectares to 16 firms. Land allotment processes are also set to begin soon in Chitrakoot, Aligarh Phase-2 and the Agra node.
197 MoUs Signed So Far
Under the active monitoring of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, a total of 197 MoUs have been signed so far for the defence corridor, including 172 industrial MoUs. These agreements represent a proposed investment of ₹34,844.49 crore and are expected to generate around 52,658 jobs across the state. In the next phase, more than 110 additional companies are in the MoU pipeline, indicating sustained investor confidence in the project.
UP Emerging as a Defence Manufacturing Leader
According to UPEIDA Additional Chief Executive Officer HP Shahi, the defence corridor is progressing rapidly in line with the Chief Minister’s vision. He said the project has been closely aligned with flagship initiatives such as Make in India and One District, One Product, with the aim of transforming Uttar Pradesh into a global defence manufacturing hub.
The establishment of the BrahMos missile manufacturing unit at the Lucknow node has further enhanced the strategic importance of the corridor. With growing investments and expanding infrastructure, Uttar Pradesh is now giving strong competition to established defence manufacturing states such as Gujarat and Tamil Nadu.
Officials indicated that several major announcements are likely in the coming months, which could further accelerate the state’s journey towards becoming a key pillar of India’s defence production ecosystem and advancing its goal of achieving a trillion-dollar economy.
