With the Government giving a determined push to ‘Make in India’ in the defence sector to achieve indigenisation, Army Chief General Bipin Rawat on Friday said attempts are on to further “lower bureaucratic barriers” and simplify procedures to promote domestic defence manufacturing. He also said the Government is reducing processes and focusing resolutely on the outcome of these processes.
Reiterating what Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said a few days ago, the Army chief said exports of Indian weapon systems will touch the Rs 35,000-crore mark by 2024 from the Rs 11,000 crore annually at present.
The energy and enterprise of ‘Make in India’ will be spanned further in defence corridors being set up with a “bouquet of advantages we offer in the form of land clearances and tax concession. The initiative will fundamentally transform the defence landscape in our country,” Rawat said. He also urged to the defence industry to provide solutions for the armed forces.
In the last few years, numerous initiatives have been taken and various schemes launched to energise the defence sector in India, so we remain deeply committed to the ethos of indigenisation, Rawat said.
“We are manufacturing weapons and ammunition not just to arm our defence forces but now we are gradually becoming an export oriented industry. Our defence exports currently range just about Rs 11,000 crore annually are set to grow to Rs 35,000 crore by 2024,” he said while addressing the 4th Defence Attaches conclave jointly organised by the Defence Ministry and news portal Bharat Shakti. The theme of the event was ‘Enhancing Defence Capabilities through Cooperation’.
Newly-formed IDEEA (Indigenous Defence Equipment Exporters Association) was also launched on the occasion.
Talking of Def Expo 2020 to be held in Lucknow, Rawat said several new technologies will be on display and added, “We will be coming forward to certify some of the equipment on display.”
Speaking at the conclave, Vice Chief of Army Lt General MM Naravane said Indian officers posted as Defence Attaches abroad “have been tasked to interact and advertise with host countries of the Indian equipment available.”
Addressing the conclave, Navy Chief Admiral Karambir Singh spoke of the foreign cooperation initiatives which include capacity building, training, exchanges and joint exercises. “India is hosting a large multilateral exercise MILAN 2020 at Visakhapatnam and we have invited 41 countries,” he stated.
All patents developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) numbering over 1,700 are now available for use by the Indian industry, said Dr. Sateesh Reddy, Chairman DRDO. He added that the Defence Ministry has just unveiled a policy under which all technologies will be available free of cost for use by the Indian industry.
Rawat also said India is committed to peace and stability in the neighbourhood as also in the “wider region” and the Army will continue to partner with friends to “confront any kind of emerging threats.”
The Navy chief cited maritime threats such as piracy, which, he said, has “trans-national” ramifications. He pitched for having greater maritime cooperation and leveraging “collective military competency” of the world.
