Modi govt awards Padma Shri to Satyanarayan Nuwal: Read how the weapon systems of his company, Solar Industrie,s were successfully battle-tested during Operation Sindoor

On the eve of Republic Day, Satyanarayan Nuwal, the founder and chairman of Solar Industries India Limited, was conferred the Padma Shri for Trade and Industry. His company manufactured the “Nagastra” weapon systems used in “Operation Sindoor” last May, reported The Times of India. He is the chairman of Solar Defence and Aerospace Limited (SDAL), which is perhaps the first and largest private military-grade explosives manufacturing facility in the nation. Notably, SDAL also provided boosters for BrahMos missiles. Nuwal, who was chosen for his exceptional contributions to industry and society, is the only businessman from Vidarbha of Maharashtra to have bagged the esteemed honour in recent years. “I did not expect that such a big honour would be conferred on me. The award only adds to my commitment towards the country, and profit is not the objective in running the defence business,” he voiced while speaking to the TOI. Nuwal is a first-generation businessman who started modestly in the mid-1990s as a supplier of commercial explosives to Coal India Limited. He frequently travelled alone and waited on train platforms. However, he successfully entered into defence when his company began producing military-grade explosives in 2010. The 74-year-old recounted, “It was an entirely new field for a private-sector company to enter. I used to hear about the supply-side challenges faced by the armed forces and realised that the country needs more players. Considering the scenario, we decided to make a small contribution towards the country’s defence.” During his visit to the SDAL facility this month, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh confirmed that the company’s Nagastra drone-mounted loitering munition hit enemy objectives precisely during India’s pivotal military action. “In America or any other country, they can launch four missiles simultaneously. But our Bhargavastra fires 60 micro-missiles at once. No such system exists anywhere else in the world to date,” Nuwal had informed Singh at the time. Bhargavastra is a multi-layer micro-missile Anti-Drone or Counter-Unmanned Aerial System (C-UAS). #WATCH | Nagpur, Maharashtra: Satyanarayan Nandlal Nuwal, Founder and Chairman of Solar Industries India Ltd, says, "In America or any other country, they can launch four missiles simultaneously. But our Bhargavastra fires 60 micro-missiles at once. No such system exists… pic.twitter.com/Vd1cLYC1g1— ANI (@ANI) January 18, 2026 The union minister was also told about the Pralay short-range ballistic missile. “We make so many motors of Pralay but our capability is that we can manufacture the whole missile,” a company official mentioned, outlining that they could develop the entire missile in only two months if given the chance. #Solar #Pralay #Nagpur"Sir we make so many motors of Pralay but our capability is that we can manufacture the whole missile, Sir if given the opportunity we can manufacture the whole missile. Two in a month sir"एक ही दिल है सत्यनारायण सर कितनी बार जीतोगे pic.twitter.com/VtNccuezVr— Dr. Ajayshree Singh Sambyal (@AjayshreeSamby3) January 18, 2026 Furthermore, SDAL created SE-BEX-2, considered the most potent high-energy material after an atomic bomb and twice as potent as conventional trinitrotoluene (TNT). It was the first private entity to provide the Army with a whole munitions system, including multimodal hand grenades that replaced the outdated models. The company started off as a military manufacturer by filling orders for Pinaka rockets. Afterwards, it produced multimodal grenades, the first complete systems built by a commercial enterprise, adding another milestone to its record. It then grew over time to produce anti-drone devices and drones. SDAL recently purchased land in Nagpur’s Mihan-SEZ to create robotics-based and artificial intelligence technologies. The humble beginnings Nuwal is among the richest persons in India with a net worth of $5.2 billion (more than ₹46,500 crore), according to the Forbes list. His company is widely recognised in the field of defence and was the initial corporation in India to be granted a government licence to produce explosives for the armed forces. However, the individual who established this business empire originated from a modest family in Rajasthan’s Bhilwara. His father was a government accountant who stressed the value of developing business acumen early in life. Nuwal was unable to continue his studies after 10th grade because of financial constraints after which he tried his hand at small businesses as he spent a year in Mathura with his gurudev. He noted, “More than education, I was interested in doing business,” in a Forbes interview. He experimented with a variety of ventures, such as manufacturing fountain pen ink, leasing companies and even a transportation company after returning home. Meanwhile, Nuwal was married at the young age of 19 as the load of obligations continued to mount. He left home to provide for