Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan Urges Centre to Retain BrahMos Facility in Kerala

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has urged Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to ensure that the BrahMos manufacturing facility remains in the state.

According to a statement from the Chief Minister’s Office on Friday, Vijayan has requested the Centre not to separate BrahMos Aerospace Thiruvananthapuram Limited (BATL) from its parent organisation, BrahMos Aerospace Private Limited.

In his letter, the Chief Minister voiced concerns over the reported move to delink BATL, warning that such a step could harm local industrial growth. He emphasised that strengthening homegrown manufacturing was vital for the state's development.

Vijayan also noted that BATL was originally established with state government participation and has since become an important contributor to the work of major national institutions such as ISRO and DRDO.

The CM further stated that employees at the facility feared production could be disrupted if BATL was removed from the BrahMos Aerospace structure.

The statement also recalled that BATL became a key player in India’s defence manufacturing ecosystem following the 2007 transfer of Kerala’s own engineering firm, Kerala Hitech Industries Ltd (KELTEC), to BrahMos Aerospace Private Limited.