Representatives of KNOTS Aerospace Private Limited and GGF Astraa Analytica Private Limited met minister B.C. Janardhan Reddy at the State Secretariat in Vijayawada to present Rs 5 bn business proposals in aviation and drone technologies. The proposals were highlighted as aligned with the investor friendly environment under Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and covered training, manufacturing and operational services. The meeting followed pitches for both flight training infrastructure and a drone cluster in Kurnool. The companies sought government support and land allocation to establish the projects. Delhi based KNOTS Aerospace proposed establishing a Flight Training Organisation (FTO) at either Nagarjuna Sagar Airport or Kurnool Airport and indicated a planned investment of Rs 1 bn over the next five years. The company stated the project would create direct employment for around 100 people and begin with six training aircraft. The plan envisages expansion of the fleet to 20 aircraft within five years to provide domestic and international standard pilot training. Hyderabad based GGF Astraa Analytica outlined interest in investing Rs 4 bn to develop a drone cluster in Kurnool Drone City and requested 100 acres of land for the facility. Technical partnerships with firms in London and Singapore were described as underpinning capabilities in drone research, assembly, manufacturing, testing, training and incubation. The company also proposed deployment of drone applications for CCTV surveillance, crowd management and traffic monitoring during the upcoming Godavari Pushkarams as part of operational demonstrations. Minister Janardhan Reddy indicated that the state would provide full support once complete project proposals were submitted and reviewed and noted the ventures were expected to boost youth employment and skill development. He outlined that trial runs of the proposed drone services are scheduled for September ahead of final decisions on implementation. Officials were directed to coordinate land allotment and technical clearances to facilitate timely project roll out.