India will not have to wait too long for a Boeing aircraft that is designed and manufactured in the subcontinent, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at the inauguration of the plane maker’s engineering centre in Bengaluru today.

The Boeing India Engineering and Technology Centre (BIETC) in Bengaluru is the company’s largest facility outside of the US. It will focus on research and development.

At the event, which was also attended by senior Boeing executives including Chief Operating Officer Stephanie Pope, PM Modi stressed the need to build an aircraft manufacturing ecosystem in India.

“Given that there is so much potential in India, we need to rapidly build an aircraft manufacturing ecosystem in the country,” PM Modi said.

“I proclaimed from the ramparts of the Red Fort – ‘this is the time, this is the right time’. It is also the opportune time for Boeing and other international companies to align their growth with Bharat’s rapid progress. The commitment of 140 crore Indians is now focused on building a developed Bharat in the next 25 years,” PM Modi said.

“With such immense potential in Bharat, we must swiftly establish the aircraft manufacturing ecosystem. Bharat boasts a robust network of MSMEs and a vast talent pool. Coupled with a stable government and a policy approach that encourages ‘Make in India’, this creates a win-win situation for every sector. I believe that the people won’t have to wait long for Boeing’s first fully designed and manufactured aircraft in Bharat,” the Prime Minister said.

BIETC was built at a cost of Rs 1,600 crore on a 43-acre plot at Hightech Defence and Aerospace Park in Devanahalli, on the outskirts of Bengaluru. The facility is expected to become a cornerstone for partnerships with vibrant startups, and private and government ecosystem in India.

Boeing did not give details on the number of people the new facility will employ. Boeing currently employs more than 6,000 people in India across its various centres.

PM Modi also launched the Boeing Sukanya Programme that the company said aims to support the entry of more girl children from across India into the country’s growing aviation sector.

The programme will provide opportunities for girls and women from across India to learn critical skills in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields and train for jobs in the aviation sector, Boeing said in a statement.

“We are honoured and privileged to support Prime Minister Modi’s transformative vision for India, and we are grateful to have him dedicate the Boeing campus to foster aerospace innovation in the country,” said David L Calhoun, Boeing president and CEO.

Boeing has seen a surge in interest for its jets in India, currently the world’s fastest-growing aviation market, with travel demand outstripping the supply of planes.

On Thursday, the aircraft manufacturer received orders for 150 737 MAX narrow-body jets from Akasa Air, India’s youngest carrier.

Boeing has an alliance with Tata Group to produce AH-64 Apache helicopter fuselages and 737 aircraft vertical fin structures.

With inputs from Reuters

Rashmika Mandanna recently shared her experience filming an intense scene from the blockbuster movie Animal, where she slapped her onscreen husband, portrayed by Ranbir Kapoor. In an interview, the actress revealed that she ended up crying and screaming after the emotionally charged scene. Mandanna also recalled the advice given to her by director Sandeep Reddy Vanga before filming the scene, which proved helpful.

The scene involved Mandanna’s character, Gitanjali, slapping her husband Rannvijay, played by Ranbir Kapoor, after he confesses to sleeping with Zoya, portrayed by Triptii Dimri. Rannvijay justifies his actions, claiming it was to uncover Zoya’s intentions, leading to a heated confrontation between the couple.

Animal, directed by Sandeep Reddy Vanga, was released on December 1. The film, also starring Anil Kapoor as Ranbir’s father and Bobby Deol as the antagonist, delves into a violent world set against the backdrop of a tumultuous relationship between Rannvijay Singh and his father Balbir Singh. However, the film has faced criticism for its misogyny and brutal violence from some viewers and critics.

Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee has told district leaders of the Trinamool Congress to be prepared to field candidates in all the three Lok Sabha seats in Murshidabad district, sources said.

Ms Banerjee’s instruction to her party was seen as posturing to its INDIA bloc partner Congress, headed by Mallikarjun Kharge.

The Congress is yet to respond on seat-sharing talks with the Trinamool for Murshidabad, which has three Lok Sabha seats, two of them held by Ms Banerjee’s party and one by the Congress.

Both Ms Banerjee and her nephew Abhishek Banerjee were present at today’s meeting.

Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury is the MP from Berhampore under Murshidabad Lok Sabha constituency. He is fiercely opposed to any seat-sharing talks with Ms Banerjee’s party.

The other two Lok Sabha seats in Murshidabad constituency – Jangipur and Murshidabad – are under the Trinamool Congress.

The Trinamool Congress and the Congress’s seat-sharing talks have not made any progress so far. The Congress has also ignored the Trinamool’s deadline to close a seat-sharing deal in Bengal.

The CPI(M)-led Left Front in Bengal is also part of the Opposition INDIA bloc. The CPI(M) and the Congress appears to have aligned against the Trinamool and the BJP in Bengal.

The Trinamool last week decided to abstain from an INDIA bloc virtual meeting, and emphasised the necessity for the Congress to recognise its limitations in Bengal and allow the ruling party to spearhead the state’s political battle.

The Trinamool had previously allied with the Congress in the 2001 assembly election, the 2009 Lok Sabha election, and the 2011 assembly polls, leading to the ousting of the CPI(M)-led Left Front government of 34 years.

In the 2019 election, the Trinamool won 22 seats, Congress won two, and the BJP won 18 seats in the state.