TN’s new aerospace policy to generate one lakh jobs

C Shivakumar

Chennai:

Tamil Nadu’s new aerospace and defence industrial policy would
generate employment opportunities to around one lakh people in the
next 10 years.

Industry sources said that the state will be establishing Centre for
Excellence besides providing grants and incentives to establish a
special aerospace university.

Interestingly, the focus is also on encouraging engineering colleges
and universities to include aerospace and aerospace technologies as
part of curriculum. The state has 572 engineering colleges with an
annual turnout of 260,000 graduates.

Industry sources said that the state government is seeking to partner
with global or Indian OEMs or institutions on a public private
partnership mode to upgrade existing ITIs in aerospace specific
training curriculum. Interestingly, the state currently has 501
polytechnics with an annual turnout of 190,000 technicians.



There are also plans to encourage the industry to set up and adopt
labs in the existing institutes for specific research initiatives. The
government will also provide special assistance, incentives and grants
in various forms towards infrastructure, hardware and software.



Meanwhile, the state will provide incentives for setting up aerospace
research parks in the state. “The developers should apply with the
state government for being notified as an approved industrial
infrastructure project for availing the incentives,” the Industry
source said.


The state is also seeking support for technological tie-ups and
building partnerships. “As aerospace technologies are properties of
global companies, the government will assist industry in accessing
special technologies from across the globe,” said the industry source.



The modalities will include forging cooperation and collaboration with
global technology giants and organisations offering cutting edge
technologies.



The government will also partner with manufacturers of aircraft and
their vendors to build aerospace industry. This will include
partnership summits, sourcing summits, investor summits, special
delegations by the state government to various large manufacturers,
industry sources said.



It is learnt that the state government would urge the Union government
for tax rationalisation and priority sector declaration for the
aerospace industry as infrastructure industry given its strength and
economic importance and need for long term funding, sources said.



It is also learnt that the government would interact with Defence
Offset Facilitation Agency (DOFA) to encourage foreign or domestic
investors to invest in the state aerospace parks to meet their offset
contractual obligations.

Factfile:

-- TN to assist in developing aerospace research parks

--- To encourage industry to set up and adopt labs in existing
institutes for research initiatives

--- To set up Special Aerospace University by providing grants and incentives

--- To upgrade existing ITIs in Aerospace specific traiing curriculum
by partnering with global or Indian OEMs

--- To encourage engineering colleges and universities to include
aerospace and astrospace technologies of their curriculum