Koraput (Odisha) | Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is scheduled to lay the foundation stone for new facilities linked to the Shakti engine at the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in Odisha's Koraput district on October 6, officials said on Monday.

According to official sources, Singh is likely to reach Sunabeda in the district on Tuesday afternoon after attending programmes at Hindustan Shipyard Limited in Visakhapatnam, where he is scheduled to inaugurate upgraded maritime infrastructure and participate in key shipbuilding milestones.

HAL's Koraput division has been playing a key role in India's military engine manufacturing and overhaul ecosystem for decades, and the Shakti engine programme is expected to give a boost to the effort, an official said on Monday.

The proposed facilities are significant for the country's efforts to strengthen its domestic capabilities in aero-engine technology and reduce import dependence, officials said.

The Shakti engine programme is a joint Indo-French initiative between HAL and Safran Helicopter Engines to develop and manufacture the Safran Ardiden 1H1 turboshaft engine for India's military requirements.

Keeping in view the Defence Minister's visit, the Koraput district administration has made tight security arrangements across Sunabeda and along the routes he is scheduled to take.

"Security has been tightened in view of Singh's scheduled visit to Sunabeda. The entire routes leading to the venue have been thoroughly sanitised, and necessary security measures have been put in place for the minister's visit," Koraput SP Rohit Verma said.

HAL's Koraput division was established in the 1960s and has evolved over the decades from servicing Soviet-origin aircraft engines to undertaking the manufacturing, overhaul and maintenance of engines used in modern combat aircraft.

The Sunabeda facility is associated with the manufacture and overhaul of engines for the Sukhoi-30MKI fleet.