Govt making relentless efforts to make India self-reliant in defence sector: PM Modi

Modi said the country's defence production in the past decade has more than doubled, exceeding Rs 1 lakh crore.

He was speaking after witnessing the "Bharat Shakti' exercise that showcased the prowess of indigenously manufactured defence equipment across the three services in Pokhran firing range in Rajasthan,

He asserted that a self-reliant India in the defence sector would instil confidence in the armed forces.

"India’s defence production has doubled to more than Rs 1 lakh crore. In the last 10 years, more than 150 defence startups have started and received orders worth Rs 1800 crore from the armed forces," the PM said.

Listing out the steps for making India self-reliant in the defence sector, Modi said the government made policy-related reforms and encouraged the MSMEs and startups in the defence sector.

"Today, defence corridors are being established in Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. Notably, so far, an amount worth over Rs 7,000 crore has been invested in these corridor projects" he added.

“The idea of Viksit Bharat is unimaginable without Aatmanirbhar Bharat,” the Prime Minister said, underscoring the need to reduce dependence on others.

In the last 10 years, India has produced its own fighter jets, aircraft carriers, C295 transport aircraft and advanced flight engines, he said.

Referring to the recent Cabinet decision to design, develop and manufacture 5th generation fighter jets in India, Modi envisioned the growth of the defence sector and the numerous employment and self-employment opportunities to be created in the future.

Recalling the time when India used to be the largest defence importer in the world, the Prime Minister highlighted India’s emergence as a defence exporter and mentioned an eight-fold increase in the country’s defence exports compared to 2014.

He said that the valour and skills at display today were the call of a new India.

“Today, once again Pokhran became a witness of the ‘triveni’ of India's Aatmnirbharta, self-confidence and its glory,” the PM said.

The PM further said, “It is the same Pokhran that witnessed India’s nuclear test and today we are witnessing the power of strength from indigenisation.”

On the test firing of the long-range AGNI missile equipped with advanced MIRV technology on Monday, Modi affirmed that only a handful of countries in the world have this new-age technology and underlined that the testing it was added another feather in the cap for “Aatmairbhata” in defence.

During the event, Union Minister for Defence, Rajnath Singh, Chief of Defence Staff, Gen Anil Chauhan, Chief of Army Staff, Gen Manoj Pandey, Chief of Air Force Staff, Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari and Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral R Hari Kumar were present on the occasion.