Modi inaugurates DefExpo, pushes for self-reliance
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated India’s largest ever DefExpo 2020 in Lucknow on Wednesday and set a target of defence exports worth $5 billion (Rs 35,000 crore) in the next five years.
Stressing the need for India to attain self-reliance in military needs to face present and future security challenges, Modi said unless the country controls its massive defence import bill, the dream of becoming a $5 trillion economy could not be realised.
“India has been a major military power in the past but post-Independence the country failed to capitalise on its historical capabilities of indigenously producing its defence needs. India is the largest democracy in the world, has the second largest Army, fifth largest economy and is also the biggest arms importer. How long can we heavily rely on imports,’’ asked the PM.
However, Modi observed that India’s pursuit of self-reliance was to secure its national interests, especially against the backdrop of threats it faced in the region, and not targeted against any nation.
“India never had expansionist ambitions and never attacked any country nor will we ever do it. Besides our own defence, we have also obligations towards the security of our neighbours in Indian Ocean region. We are not interested in warfare, but welfare,’’ Modi pointed out.
The PM said from defence exports valued at Rs 2,000 crore a few years back, the nation had achieved defence exports worth Rs 17,000 crore so far. “But our target is to hit $5 billion in the next five years,” he said.
“India has always been a trusted partner for world peace and contributed during the two World Wars despite having no direct stakes in these conflicts. Nearly 6,000 Indian security personnel were currently deployed in the UN Peace Keeping missions in African nations,” Modi said.
Underlining the importance of “Make in India”, the PM said DefExpo 2020 is among the biggest defence shows globally and would contribute immensely towards showcasing India as an ideal investment destination for military hardware. “India is not only a big market, but offers huge business opportunities,” Modi told foreign investors and assured that their investments would provide good returns and help India become self-reliant in defence needs.
The PM further said that Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) was helping defence sector start-ups to scale up and develop new products based on modern technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI) etc.
Meanwhile, Modi espoused the development of defence manufacturing capacity in domestic private sector and talked about enabling policies, including liberal licensing regime, implemented by Central Government and defence establishments to promote collaboration. “The DRDO was facilitating free transfer of defence technologies and created five new testing labs for start-ups to promote innovation,” he said.
Referring to Defence Manufacturing Corridors in Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh, Modi said that these hubs would not only help India become self-reliant in defence manufacturing but also help micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME).
He said that Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) was exploring outer space for public welfare and not for warfare, while DRDO was developing capabilities to protect these outer space assets from potential threats.
The Prime Minister said his Government has introduced several reforms in the Defence Ministry and implemented ease of doing business (EODB) resulting in sharp increase in number of licence issued by the Ministry from 210 to 460 in the last five years.
“India today is building several defence equipment like artillery guns, aircraft carriers, submarines, frigates, light-combat aircraft, and combat helicopters,” he said.
Modi cited misuse of technology, terrorism and cyber threat as challenges facing the world and said that defence forces were eyeing new technology considering new threats. “India is not behind others. A roadmap has been finalised to use application of artificial intelligence in defence sector,” he said.
Modi said that the creation of the post of Chief of Defence Staff and Department of Military Affairs would boost the overall defence production.
Earlier, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh made a detailed presentation about the plans of his Ministry and said that it was pursuing three Ps - policies, promotion and partnership.
The 11th edition of biennial DefExpo 2020 during February 5-9 will feature 1,000 exhibitors, including 165 foreign companies from the US, France, Germany, Russia, Israel, Australia etc, making it the largest ever defence show surpassing the 10th edition of DefExpo 2018 in Chennai, when about 700 exhibitors participated.
