Vijayawada: Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) Managing Director Dr P Parthasarathy said BEL will set up its plant in Sathyasai area of Rayalaseema region. He said BEL is one of the leading electronics companies in India and manufactures a wide variety of products, mainly related to the defence sector.
Dr Parthasarathy told media on Sunday that BEL has eight manufacturing units and 22 fixed operational bases across India. For South India, he said BEL has its presence in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Machilipatnam in Andhra Pradesh and is currently setting up a base at Parasamudram in Sathyasai district.
He said 914 acres of land has been acquired for setting up a manufacturing plant for missile and radar test equipment. BEL’s Board of Investment has decided to spend Rs 3,840 crore for the construction of the first phase of the unit at Sathyasai area.
Dr Parthasarathy said technical and administrative issues have been resolved in setting up the plant. BEL was established in 1956 and initially manufactured products in Bangalore which were imported from France. Currently, the company produces 350 products catering to the needs of the country’s defence sector. He said of the 350 products manufactured by BEL, around 50 per cent were developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the remaining 50 per cent were indigenously developed by BEL.
The BEL director said India has a 5,200 km coastline and 3,600 km land border, of which 50 percent is flat and the rest is highland. Defence personnel need equipment and technology to effectively guard the border. He said the Machilipatnam unit manufactures night vision devices to cater to the needs of the armed forces. As there is a high demand for night vision lenses, the government is planning another unit in Krishna district, Dr Parthasarathy added.
