Kanpur has started moving towards regaining its old glory: Rajnath Singh

Lucknow: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday expressed confidence that Kanpur --- once known as the 'Manchester of the East' --- has started moving towards regaining its old glory after the construction of the Defence Corridor.

"Tomorrow, when any region in the west will make tremendous development, it will be known as the Kanpur of the West," he said, virtually addressing from Delhi the inaugural ceremony of the BrahMos Aerospace Integration and Testing Facility at the Uttar Pradesh Defence Industrial Corridor here.

The minister said that there was a time when Kanpur and adjoining areas were known for manufacturing of products, adding this region was very prosperous from the economic point of view.

"This was known as the Manchester of the East, but after Independence due to many reasons it lagged behind in the path of economic progress and was left behind. I don't want to go into those reasons, but I would like to say that after the construction of the Defence Corridor, this region has started moving towards regaining its old glory," said Singh.

"I have no doubts that Kanpur will touch such heights of development that it will become an example for the developed areas of the world. Tomorrow when any region in the west will make tremendous development, it will be known as the Kanpur of the West," he added.

Singh further said that in this manner, "we are committed to develop each node of the Defence Industrial Corridor".