Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh on Wednesday laid the foundation stone of an NTPC-BHEL power plant manufacturing project at Mannavaram near Tirupati.
Once completed, the BHEL-NTPC joint venture project will manufacture power plant equipment. NBPPL chairman and managing director C.P. Singh said the joint venture company would help meet a huge emerging demand for the setting up of new power projects in the country.
Andhra Pradesh governor E.S.L. Narasimhan, Union ministers Vilasrao Deshmukh, Sushil Kumar Shinde, Union ministers of state Arun Yadav, Bharat Singh Solanki and Andhra Pradesh industries minister Kanna Lakshmi Narayana attended the function.
Expected to commence production in three to four years, the project will provide direct employment to about 6000 people, while over 30,000 will get indirect employment.
The Mannavaram project is expected to indigenise power generation equipment, which is being largely being imported at present by the public sector undertakings like BHEL and NTPC.
Dr Singh will also lay the foundation stone for the Tirupati International Airport later on Wednesday. He will also offer prayers at Tirupati, the abode of Lord Sri Venkateswara at Tirumala.