Tata-Airbus project in Gujarat inked under MVA rule: Uday Samant

MUMBAI: Maharashtra minister Uday Samant on Friday claimed that the deal to set up the Tata-Airbus C-295 transport aircraft project in Gujarat had been signed by the Centre in September last year when the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government was in power in the state.

The state Industries Minister also slammed the opposition for creating “confusion” over the project.

Samant said the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to set up the aircraft unit in Gujarat was signed by the Centre in September 2021.

“Be it the Vedanta-Foxconn project or the Tata-Airbus project, the decision about where to set up these projects was taken before this (Eknath Shinde-led) government came to power in the state late June this year. The opposition is doing nothing except to criticise and create confusion among people,” Samant said.

“The central government had signed an MoU on September 2021 and the company had decided to take the project to Gujarat,” he added.

The defence ministry on Thursday said a consortium of Airbus and the Tata group will manufacture C-295 transport aircraft for the Indian Air Force (IAF) in Vadodara in Gujarat. Under this project worth Rs 22,000 crore, a military plane will be produced in India for the first time by a private company.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Sunday lay the foundation stone for the manufacturing facility of the European defence major and the Indian conglomerate..