India focusing on enhancing defence manufacturing capacity: PM
By TIOL News Service
NEW DELHI, FEB 22, 2021: PRIME Minister Mr Narendra Modi on Monday highlighted India's commitment to enhancing its defence manufacturing capabilities by outlining plans to make the world's biggest weapons importer self-reliant at a seminar on Budget 2021-22 provisions in the sector.
"Before Independence we used to have hundreds of ordnance factories. In both the World Wars, arms were exported from India on a large scale, but after Independence due to a number of reasons, this system was not strengthened as much as it should have," he said.
"The condition is such that even for small arms we have to look at other nations. Today India is among the biggest defence importers in the world and this is not a matter of pride," the Prime Minister said.
"An India that could reach Mars, could have made modern weapons also. But it became an ‘easy way' to import weapons from abroad," he said.
Heralding a change, the PM said India's defence sector is now aiming to become Aatmanirbhar .
"From 2014, we have tried to foster transparency, predictability and ease of doing business in the defence sector and have been moving ahead," he listed. "We have also implemented strong reforms for this sector, such as de-licensing, de-regulation, promotion of exports and liberalisation of foreign investment."
He said India has made a list of 100 items important to defence which can be manufactured indigenously with the help of local industries on a set timeline. While it may be a "negative list" in more official language, Mr Modi said it was a "positive list" in the language of self-reliance.
"This is the positive list based on which the country's manufacturing capacity is going to increase. This is the positive list that will generate employment in India. This is the positive list that is going to reduce India's dependence on foreign countries for our defence needs. This is the positive list that guarantees the sale of indigenous products in India," he added.
The Prime Minister urged the private sector to take up both designing and manufacturing of the defence equipment and learn from the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
"India's private sector must learn from DRDO's experience in indigenous design and development. Rules and regulations must not hinder this and we're quickly making reforms for the same," he clarified.
"Instead of being import-dependant, we have to build an image as a leading defence exporter globally and strengthen it."