NEW DELHI: Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday said investment proposals worth over Rs 35,000 crore are being implemented across Uttar Pradesh’s six defence industrial corridors in Lucknow, Kanpur, Jhansi, Agra, Aligarh and Chitrakoot. Speaking at the closing ceremony of the three-day NorthTech Symposium in Prayagraj, Adityanath described Aligarh as a hub for small arms and defence supplies, and noted that Kanpur—known as the Manchester of the East—is emerging as a centre for ammunition, missiles and defence textiles. “Lucknow has been focused on BrahMos missiles and heavy defence manufacturing. Chitrakoot and Agra are being developed for precision engineering in aerospace and defence,” PTI quoted him as saying. He also pointed to Uttar Pradesh’s defence manufacturing ecosystem, claiming that the state has 56% skilled manpower and a large MSME base. The chief minister announced that his government is working with Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur to develop a Centre of Excellence for drones. “More than 21,000 startups have been established in Uttar Pradesh across sectors, including AI, robotics, drones, semiconductors and data centres,” he noted. He attributed this to a focus on law and order since 2017, including a “zero-tolerance” policy against crime, and added that improved security and infrastructure have helped attract investment. The NorthTech Symposium was inaugurated by Rajnath Singh on May 4, with over 250 defence companies participating.