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The Hindu
04-07-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Need clarity on move to ‘delink' BrahMos Thiruvananthapuram unit: P. Rajeeve
The Industries department is of the stand that the Thiruvananthapuram unit of BrahMos should be retained in the public sector, Industries Minister P. Rajeeve has said. Responding to questions at a press conference here on Friday on the alleged move to 'delink' the Thiruvananthapuram unit of BrahMos from the parent BrahMos Aerospace Pvt Ltd (BAPL), the Indo-Russian missile joint venture, he said that further discussions will be held in this regard with the officials concerned to bring more clarity on the issue. Over the past few weeks, employees at the BrahMos Aerospace Thiruvananthapuram Ltd (BATL), situated at Chakka in the State capital, have been concerned over a reported move to separate BATL from BAPL, of which it is a wholly-owned subsidiary. They have sought the urgent intervention of the Kerala government to discourage any move that adversely impacts the future of the unit and jobs. Mr. Rajeeve said that despite this development, the expansion plans of BrahMos are going ahead in full steam. Discussions regarding the land required for expansion have already taken place, he said.
The Hindu
30-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan writes to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh against move to delink BrahMos Aerospace Thiruvananthapuram Ltd. from parent company
Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan has shot off a letter to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh seeking urgent measures for the protection of BrahMos Aerospace Thiruvananthapuram Ltd. (BATL). Mr. Satheesan has urged Mr. Singh to retain the BATL as a subsidiary of the Indo-Russian missile joint venture BrahMos Aerospace Pvt. Ltd. (BAPL) or restructure it as a direct production centre under the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). Mr. Satheesan wrote the letter to New Delhi amidst reports that the BAPL management was moving to 'delink' the BATL from it. Growing concern He informed the Defence Minister that there was 'growing concern' that such a decision could ultimately result in the privatisation of the unit. Employees unions had raised serious concerns over the alleged move and had sought the immediate attention of the State government in this matter. The BATL, as a subsidiary of the BAPL, had played a vital role in India's missile production ecosystem and national security framework, Mr. Satheesan said. 'The timing of the delinking immediately after the success of Operation Sindoor raises further apprehension. I am told that neither the Kerala government, nor the employees, nor the trade unions were consulted or informed about this critical shift. There is growing concern that this move may be a prelude to eventual privatisation or transfer of the unit to an unknown private player,' Mr. Satheesan said in the June 27 letter. Mr. Satheesan urged Mr. Singh to ensure that the BATL was retained as a fully-owned subsidiary under the BAPL, 'preserving its current functional, administrative and strategic status,' or, reconstitute it as a direct production centre under the DRDO with the employees enjoying status and benefits equal to that of DRDO staff.
The Hindu
28-06-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Alleged move to ‘delink' BrahMos Thiruvananthapuram unit from parent organisation kicks up row
An alleged move to 'delink' the Thiruvananthapuram unit of BrahMos from the parent BrahMos Aerospace Pvt Ltd (BAPL), the Indo-Russian missile JV, has cast a pall of uncertainty over an enterprise that was once hailed as a model of Centre-State collaboration. Over the past few weeks, employees at the BrahMos Aerospace Thiruvananthapuram Ltd (BATL), situated at Chakka in the State capital, have been concerned over a reported move to separate BATL from BAPL, of which it is a wholly-owned subsidiary. They have sought the urgent intervention of the Kerala government to discourage any move that adversely impacts the future of the unit and jobs. When contacted by The Hindu, BATL managing director A. Joseph said the Thiruvananthapuram unit has not been delinked thus far, but he also did not fully rule out the possibility of such an eventuality. Mr. Joseph went on to add that he was not privy to the discussions taking place at the BAPL headquarters. Employees' unions argue that the Kerala government cannot be kept in the dark about such decisions with respect to BATL as the unit was established in 2007 by transferring the State government-run company Kerala Hi-Tech Industries Ltd (KELTEC) for a token ₹1. Unions allege that the BrahMos management have show utter disregard to the Thiruvananthapuram unit even at a time when Operation Sindoor has demonstrated the might of the BrahMos missile and the demand for its production is on the rise. They also note that BATL has run on a profit over the past 11 years, including a ₹24 crore profit in 2024-25. With the INTUC-led BrahMos Staff Association and the AITUC-backed BrahMos Employees Union conveying their apprehensions over the reported delinking move, Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor and CPI State secretary Binoy Viswam, who is also president of the AITUC-led union, have separately appealed to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to urgently intervene to protect the unit. Mr. Tharoor noted in a June 27 letter that 'Employees were recently alarmed to learn - through proceedings at a Board of Directors meeting and the Annual General Meeting of BAPL - that a resolution had been passed to delink BATL from BAPL. This decision was taken without the prior knowledge or consultation of the State government, the employees, or the trade unions, and has been widely perceived as a disregard for the significance of this vital defence manufacturing unit in Kerala.' Mr. Viswam, in a June 4 letter expressed similar sentiment, and urged Mr. Singh to 'investigate this matter.' Both Mr. Tharoor and Mr. Viswam have urged the Defence Minister to allay fears by either retaining BATL under BAPL's structure or reconstituting it as a direct production entity under the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). KELTEC, situated on 15.80 acres near the Thiruvananthapuram airport, was transferred to BAPL, a JV of the DRDO and Russian company NPOM, on December 5, 2007. A.K. Antony was Defence Minister at the time in the Congress-led UPA government while Elamaram Kareem was Industries Minister in the LDF government led by V.S. Achuthanandan in Kerala. In connection with the transfer, a March 22, 2007, State Industries Department order observed that the Centre-State collaboration would provide Kerala with its 'first defence production unit.' It would also 'result in additional investments between at least ₹100 crore to ₹200 crore initially and may go up many fold.' Ends
United News of India
09-06-2025
- Business
- United News of India
BrahMos: CPI asks Rajnath Singh not to delink BATL from BAPL
Thiruvananthapuram, June 9 (UNI) CPI Kerala Secretary Binoy Viswam has urged Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to reconsider the decision to delink the BrahMos Aerospace Trivandrum Limited (BATL) from the BrahMos Aerospace Private Limited (BAPL), a Joint Venture (JV) of India and Russia. Former Rajya Sabha member Binoy Viswam, who is also President of BrahMos Employees Union (AlTUC), said the BAPL Board has taken a decision to delink BATL from the management control of BAPL as a subsidiary unit. The Communist Party of India (CPI) leader sought the Centre to take appropriate action to retain BATL with BAPL or make BATL an entity under the DRDO. Any other decision in this regard may badly affect the growth of BATL as a prestigious organisation in Kerala, he claimed. He said the Kerala High-Tech Industries (KELTEC), a public sector undertaking of the Kerala state, was handed over to DRDO by the Kerala government in March 2007, envisioning its development. An asset worth 300 crore, including 17.8 acres of land, a modern plant, and machinery, was transferred to the central government for just one rupee (free of cost), he said. Since DRDO is a research and development organisation, it faced difficulties in direct takeover, prompting the then defence minister to take necessary actions for the transfer of KELTEC to BAPL, which operates under DRDO; thus, KELTEC was handed over to the Indo-Russian joint venture BAPL by the state government in November 2007, he explained. On January 1, 2008, the BrahMos Thiruvananthapuram company was restructured into a subsidiary called BrahMos Aerospace Thiruvananthapuram Limited (BATL) by the order of BAPL Headquarters, Delhi. Currently the BATL executes BrahMos, DRDO, ISRO, and BARC works in Thiruvananthapuram. BATL is now executing important and very complicated components of BrahMos missiles like BrahMos metallic air components, the gas generator control panel system (GG-CPS), the B1-BIl booster, F3 CKD-SKD for land and air versions, containers for launching, corset logistics for land and air packed containers, etc. The organisation has been profitable for the last 11 years and made a profit of Rs 24 crore in the financial year 2024-25. It is understood from employees of BATL that on May 20, 2025, the BAPL Board and AGM have taken a decision to delink BATL from the management control of BAPL as a subsidiary unit. "Hence, I request you to investigate this matter and also take appropriate action to retain BATL with BAPL or make BATL an entity under DRDO," the CPI leader said in a letter to Rajnath Singh. UNI DS ARN
