Chennai: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday launched a slew of programmes, including passenger services in the Chennai Metro Rail Phase-I extension project, and also handed over the indigenously designed and developed Arjun Main Battle Tank (MK-1A) to the Indian Army.
Modi launched the projects through video-conferencing at an official event organised by Tamil Nadu government at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor stadium.
‘Numerous development works would launched that would  add speed to fulfilling the vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat. The projects will boost ‘Ease of Living’ for our citizens,” Modi tweeted in English, Malayalam and Tamil, before leaving for Chennai and Kochi.
Modi also handed over Arjun Main Battle Tank (MK-1A) to the Army.
“I am proud to present Arjun Main Battle Tank (MK-1A). Tamil Nadu is already one of the largest automobile manufacturing states of the nation. I can now see the region becoming the largest tank manufacturing state,” the PM Modi said.
The state-of-the-art tank was designed, developed and manufactured by DRDO’s Combat Vehicles Research and Development Establishment (CVRDE) along with 15 academic institutions, eight labs and several MSMEs.
Earlier this month, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also inaugurated the production of Tejas Light Combat Aircraft. He said the goal was to encourage local defence production, and reduce defence imports by at least $2 billion by 2022.
