Defence ministers of 25 countries have so far agreed to attend the expo, which will be held on 200 acres of land in Lucknow from February 5 to 9.

The Uttar Pradesh government along with the Central government is leaving no stone upturned in a bid to make the 11th edition of the Defence Expo-2020 the biggest such event.

Defence ministers of 25 countries have so far agreed to attend the expo, which will be held on 200 acres of land in Lucknow from February 5 to 9.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh along with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had on Sunday reviewed the preparations for the event.

While the main theme of the defence corridor is “India, The Emerging Defence Hub”, the focus will also be on “Digital Transformation of Defence”. Several countries are expected to showcase their state-of-the-art technologies.

Singh was informed that about 925 exhibitors have already booked spots; 150 of them are foreign exhibitors. A government spokesperson said that of the 925, as many as 755 are Indian companies. Of the total Indian companies, 223 belong to Micro, Small and Medium Industries (MSME). The Indian companies will be given a 50 per cent concession for purchase of land.

The state government is also preparing a “tent city”, which is being developed at Vrindawan Development Scheme on the outskirts of Lucknow. The “tent city” is likely to have 1,000 super deluxe and deluxe tents for guests. The government is also preparing for different events on the banks of Gomti River.

The state is expecting that countries such as America, Russia, France, South Korea, Israel, Sweden and Britain will showcase their latest technologies in the defence sector during the event.

In 2018, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had inaugurated Uttar Pradesh Investors’ Summit, where he had announced construction of a defence corridor in the state. The expo will have several pavilions, while the one for the state will focus on the Uttar Pradesh defence corridor project among other things.

The Uttar Pradesh Defence Industrial Corridor will pass through Lucknow, Kanpur, Agra, Aligarh, Jhansi and Chitrakoot. As per the latest progress report, work is going on to acquire about 3,000 hectares for the project, which will be developed along the Bundelkhand Expressway connecting Chitrakoot in Bundelkhand to Agra in western Uttar Pradesh.

On Sunday, Joint Secretary (Defence) Chandrakar Bharti had said the last Defence Expo in Chennai covered 80 acres, while this time the site is spread over 200 acres. “While there were 40 MOUs signed in Chennai, more than 65 are expected here…” said Bharti.