Boeing boost for Make in India

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Make in India’ campaign got a major boost on Friday with American aviation major Boeing joining the bandwagon. Boeing chairman James McNerney said here that the company could assemble fighter planes and either the Apache or Chinook defence helicopter in India. “Even (building a commercial aircraft wing or fuselage in India) is closer than you think,” McNerney said, making Boeing the biggest global company to commit to the ‘Make in India’ programme.

Last month, Boeing had got a $3-billion contract for supplying 22 Apaches and 15 Chinooks to India. While finalizing the chopper order, the defence ministry had said that contract will have a 30% offset clause and bring in business worth $1 billion for the Indian defence industry. “Make in India is a very important mission for the country. Over the last two to three decades, the capability of the Indian people has been obvious and clear. Modi’s initiative takes up those capabilities two to three levels,” McNerney, who met Modi on Thursday, said.