PM hands over indigenous Arjun tank to Army

Prime Minister Narendra Modi onSunday handed over to the Army the home-made Arjun Main BattleTank MK-1A here, dubbed by him as an example of Indiasunited spirit as the south made armoured vehicle will guardthe northern borders of the country.At a function, he also accepted a salute by the state-of-the-art tank, indigenously designed, developed, andmanufactured by the Defence Research and DevelopmentOrganisation DRDOs Combat Vehicles Research and DevelopmentEstablishment here.Modi later handed over a replica model of the tank toArmy Chief General M M Naravane.Today I am proud to dedicate to the country one morewarrior to protect our frontiers.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi onSunday handed over to the Army the home-made Arjun Main BattleTank (MK-1A) here, dubbed by him as an example of India'sunited spirit as the south made armoured vehicle will guardthe northern borders of the country.

At a function, he also accepted a salute by the state-of-the-art tank, indigenously designed, developed, andmanufactured by the Defence Research and DevelopmentOrganisation (DRDO)'s Combat Vehicles Research and DevelopmentEstablishment here.

Modi later handed over a replica model of the tank toArmy Chief General M M Naravane.

''Today I am proud to dedicate to the country one morewarrior to protect our frontiers. I am proud to hand over theindigenously designed and manufactured Arjun MK-1A.'' ''It also uses indigenous ammunition. Tamil Nadu is alreadythe leading auto manufacturing hub of India. Now I see TamilNadu evolving as a tank manufacturing hub of India,'' he said.

''A tank made in Tamil Nadu will be used in our northernborder to keep our nation safe. This showcases India's unitedspirit--Bharat's ekta darshan,'' Modi added.

According to reports, the Heavy Vehicles Factory (HVF) atAvadi here, has been placed with a Rs 8,500 crore order formanufacturing 118 of these tanks.

Arjun MK 1 Alpha is a ''contemporary tank in the worldwith battle winning efficacy,'' officials said.

It is 'infused' with 71 new features and would ensureeffortless mobility in all terrains, besides precise targetengagement during day and night.

The production order opens up a large avenue in defencemanufacturing for over 200 Indian companies and scores ofMicro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) with employmentopportunities to 8,000 people, they said.

The tank is a ''shining example'' of the Centre's muchtouted ''atmanirbhar bharat,'' a concept of attaining self-reliance in various sectors including the defence.

Quoting from revolutionary Tamil poet and freedom fighterMahakavi Subramanya Bharathi, Modi said that inspiredby the former's vision, ''India has taken a massive effort tobecome self-reliant in the defence sector.'' Of the two defence corridors in the country, the one inTamil Nadu has already received investment commitments of overRs 8,100 crore, Modi said.

''We will continue working to make our armed forces one ofthe most modern forces in the world. At the same time thefocus on making India Atmanirbhar in the defence sector moveswith full speed,'' he said.

Later, in a tweet, he said it was ''a special day in ourjourney to become Aatmanirbhar in the defence sector,''referring to Arjun Main Battle Tank (MK-1A).

Fifteen academic institutions, eight labs and severalMSMEs were also involved in the Arjun MK 1A.