Premier Explosives Limited is a Rs.2600 million company established in 1980 and founded by the first generation entrepreneur Dr. A.N.Gupta, an alumnus of Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad. Since inception it has been a research and innovation oriented company by manufacturing explosives and detonators with totally indigenous technology in 1980's and 1990's. In 2013 PEL started commercial-scale manufacture of detonators with Nickel Hydrazine Nitrate (NHN)as primary charge emerging as the world first to do so. Extending its research forte to defence products, in 2003 PEL forayed into development of solid propellants and today it is the only private entity in India manufacturing and supplying solid propellants for prestigious missiles like Akash, Astra, LRSAM, etc.