MP for Mysuru Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar on Tuesday described the Hindustan Aeronautical Limited (HAL) as a pan India organisation contributing towards India’s growth and self-reliance in the aviation sector.
Speaking at the 86th HAL Foundation Day celebrations, Mr. Yaduveer said, “The HAL has grown today to what it has become such a great and grand institution that is pan India working towards so much of what is our new forefront. I think it was a new forefront in the 1940s and it still remains the new forefront today, and I am sure that the advances that the HAL is making will certainly lead India to be self-reliant in the aviation sector going forward.”
Mr. Yaduveer recalled the contributions made by the then Maharaja of Mysore Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar who donated 700 acres of prime land and invested ₹25 lakhs for setting up the Hindustan Aircraft Limited as it was known then.
He said that the HAL was a Mysore Institution which after independence became part of the Government of India and that this aspect needs to be remembered.
“This isn’t a political stage, certainly me being a politician I do not want to get into that but there were certain references made during the past year that this HAL was attributed to a certain family and I think everyone has certainly made their part in nurturing this institution,” he said.
HAL Chairman and Managing Director D.K. Sunil said that the defence PSU should be very clear about what the future demands are and work towards achieving them.
“The aerospace and defence environment will become more competitive and more complex. The need for speed and reliability will increase, the need for reliance and supply chain will go up, and the need for digital tools and modern manufacturing will increase. The HAL must be ready for that future. It must be ready in technology, ready for processes, and ready for partnerships,” he said.
During the event, the cover of a HAL book by Amar Chitra Katha and HAL Mystamp was also unveiled.