Rajnath Singh chaired a meeting of the Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Defence on ‘Self-reliance in Defence Manufacturing’ in Bengaluru, Karnataka on June 16, 2023. During the meeting, the members of the committee from both Houses of Parliament were apprised about the initiatives taken by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to achieve ‘Aatmanirbharta’ in defence and the progress achieved, so far, due to the decisions.
The Defence minister highlighted the Government’s constant endeavour to enhance the security of the country and make the Armed Forces technologically advanced to deal with challenges emanating out of the ever-evolving global scenario. Terming demand assurance as one of the most important aspects to ensure self-reliance, he stated that a number of decisions have been taken to achieve the objective. These include a constant increase in the defence budget, including capital outlay; earmarking of a record 75 per cent of the defence capital procurement budget for the domestic industry in Financial Year 2023-24 and issuance of positive indigenisation lists.
Rajnath Singh asserted that the Government’s decisions have started to bear fruit and today the country is indigenously manufacturing submarines, fighter jets, helicopters and weapons. He added that the growing defence industry is not only catering to domestic requirements but also fulfilling the security needs of friendly countries. “In the last financial year, our defence production crossed Rs one lakh crore and exports touched Rs 16,000 crore. This is proof that the defence sector and the nation at large are on the right path,” he said.
