By Shishir Prashant 
PrashantNews
India on Sunday said it is increasing the private sector’s participation in defence manufacturing to more than 50 percent with an aim to boost its exports.
“The Government is focusing on ensuring that the private sector’s role in defence manufacturing reaches 50% or more in the coming times”, Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday said as he flagged off first tranche of guided Pinaka missiles to Armenia.
“The Government is making every effort to strengthen the private sector and promote domestic vendors. We have decided to gradually indigenise our platforms, systems, and subsystems. Even for those things that we cannot manufacture, a provision for at least 50% indigenous content has been made. As a result of these efforts, we have been successful in increasing our indigenous content in many areas. This has also boosted the morale of the private sector,” he said.
Enumerating the results achieved due to the Government’s consistent push towards self-reliance, the Minister said the domestic defence production, which was Rs 46,425 crore in 2014, has grown to a record approx. Rs 1.51 lakh crore today. He added that over Rs 33,000 crore of this contribution comes from the private sector, indicating that private industries are becoming partners in achieving the goal of Aatmanirbhar Bharat. He further said that due to the increasing participation of the private sector, India’s defence exports, which were less than Rs 1,000 crore ten years ago, have now reached a record Rs 24,000 crore.
Inaugurating the Medium Caliber Ammunition Manufacturing Facility at the Solar Defence & Aerospace Limited in Nagpur, Maharashtra, he recalled the time when ammunition shortages hampered the country’s defence preparedness with the Government realising the need to become self-reliant in the field.
The facility, inaugurated by the Defence Minister, is a fully automated plant manufacturing 30mm ammunition which is extensively used by the Indian Army and the Indian Navy. He had also visited the Pinaka Rocket manufacturing facility and flagged-off the first tranche of Guided Pinaka rockets to Armenia
Commending the contribution of the private sector in making the defence sector Aatmanirbhar, Singh stated that the nation is steadily marching forward in ammunition production as it is manufacturing quality and reliable products. He made special mention of the handing over of the Multi-Mode Hand Grenade, a fully Indian-made ammunition manufactured by the private sector, to the Indian Army in 2021.
He said Nagastra drones, manufactured by the Solar Group, were successfully used during Operation Sindoor, as it accurately struck terrorist targets, thereby proving its strategic capability. He appreciated the development of more advanced versions of Nagastra, exuding confidence that the weapons will prove extremely lethal to the nation’s enemies if needed in the future.
Singh said that the successful test launch of ‘Bhargavastra’ Counter Drone System, being developed by the Solar Company, showcases the technological capabilities of the private sector. He added that the exports of Pinaka missiles developed at the facility have begun, demonstrating the capabilities of the defence industry in further strengthening the export potential of the country. India is no longer just an importer but is rapidly moving towards becoming an exporter, he said.
The Minister termed Operation Sindoor as an example of how important self-reliance is for the nation. He emphasised that wars are becoming increasingly complex, which demands a nation to prepare itself on a war footing. “New methods of warfare are emerging. Wars are no longer confined to borders. Areas such as energy, trade, tariffs, supply chains, technology, and information have also become new dimensions of conflict. The importance of border vigilance and latest weapons and technologies has increased. Irrespective of the nature of war, the need of a robust defence industrial base will always remain. In such a situation, increased private sector’s involvement in manufacturing and research & development is the need of the hour,” he added.