The Chief Minister's Office of Maharashtra announced on Friday, 19 June 2026 that Union Minister of Defence Rajnath Singh and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis jointly performed the bhoomipujan (groundbreaking ceremony) of a 10,000-ton capacity Extrusion Press at Ordnance Factory Ambajhari, Nagpur, a unit of Yantra India Limited, a Mini-Ratna Defence PSU, at 12:50 PM.

Context

The groundbreaking marks a significant investment in Nagpur's emerging role as a defence manufacturing hub in western India. The CMO described the event as 'A Strategic Step Towards Atmanirbhar Bharat,' framing it within the broader national push to reduce dependence on imported defence hardware. Vijaykumar Iyer, Chairman and Managing Director of Yantra India Limited, was present at the ceremony alongside other dignitaries.

An extrusion press of this scale is among the largest of its kind in the defence manufacturing sector. Such equipment is critical for producing large-calibre gun barrels, rocket motor casings, and heavy ammunition components that have historically been sourced from abroad.

Policy Backdrop

The project is rooted in the 2021 corporatisation of 41 ordnance factories into seven defence public sector undertakings, of which Yantra India Limited was one. That restructuring was designed to give erstwhile government-run factories greater operational autonomy, commercial accountability, and the ability to modernise faster.

The Atmanirbhar Bharat defence agenda, announced in 2020, set progressively higher indigenisation targets and raised foreign direct investment limits to attract global technology partnerships. The Ordnance Factory Ambajhari has historically produced ammunition components; the new press will substantially expand its manufacturing capability and product range.

The central government has also developed dedicated defence industrial corridors in Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu since 2018-19, and the Ambajhari investment signals Maharashtra's intent to position Nagpur as a complementary node in that national network.

Stakeholders and Impact

The primary beneficiary of the new press will be the Indian armed forces, which stand to receive domestically manufactured components that were previously imported at higher cost and longer lead times. The workforce at Ordnance Factory Ambajhari is expected to see expanded roles as production scales up.

Yantra India Limited, operating as a Mini-Ratna PSU, gains a flagship capital asset that could anchor future defence acquisition contracts. For Maharashtra, the investment reinforces CM Fadnavis's push to attract defence-sector manufacturing to the state and create high-skill industrial employment in the Nagpur region.

What's Next

Attention will now turn to the commissioning timeline for the 10,000-ton Extrusion Press and the pace of capacity utilisation once it becomes operational. Follow-on orders for Yantra India Limited products under forthcoming defence acquisition plans will be a key indicator of whether the facility delivers on its strategic promise.

The Nagpur groundbreaking, conducted jointly by the Union Defence Minister and the state's Chief Minister, underscores the centre-state coordination that the government has identified as essential to accelerating India's defence self-reliance goals. If the press is commissioned on schedule, it could serve as a template for similar heavy-manufacturing investments at other ordnance factory units across the country.