Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has said that the Defence Expo 2020 will be held for the first time in Lucknow from February 5 to 9. He said it will be the biggest ever defence exhibition in the country in terms of participation of exhibitors, the area of the exhibition and the revenue to be earned. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the exhibition. Addressing a media gathering after reviewing the preparations for the Expo along with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in Lucknow, Singh said that the event will be a historic one for Uttar Pradesh. He said the state will become a destination for defence manufacturing and aerospace manufacturing. He said that in the near future India will become the hub of defence equipment production as well as export and Uttar Pradesh will play an important role in it. The previous Defence Expo in Chennai in 2018 was held over a 80-acre area whereas the Defence Expo in Lucknow will be organised over a 200-acre area. Nearly 925 exhibitors, including 150 foreign companies have already registered for participation. The Defence Ministers and Army chiefs of 25 countries are expected to participate in the programme. Rajnath Singh said that an invitation has been extended to 135 countries and 70 nations have confirmed their participation. Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Defence, Chandrakant Bharti said that 247 MSME exhibitors will take part in this event. Top defence manufacturers from the United States, Russia, South Korea, the United Kingdom, France, Sweden and the Czech Republic are likely to participate in the Defence Expo. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed hope that the Defence Expo will pave the way for investment worth 25 thousand crore rupees in defence corridor.
