Lucknow (NVI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi today asserted his government’s resolve to take giant strides towards establishing India as a leading defence manufacturer while saying that country is eyeing defence export by 5 billion dollars in next five years.
The Prime Minister, while inaugurating the 11th edition of DefExpo here, highlighted the measures taken by the government to boost manufacturing in the defence sector and woo investors to set up a base in the country.
He said Uttar Pradesh is set to become one of the biggest hubs of Defence manufacturing.
“Now our aim is that in the coming five years, we grow the defence export to five million dollars, that is around 35,000 crore rupees,” the PM said at the event which will go on for three more days till February 8.
PM Modi said that a country of the size of India cannot entirely depend on imports and added that the number of defence licenses issued in the last five years has risen to 460 from 210 in 2014.
“Be it artillery guns, artillery aircraft, frigates, submarines, light combat aircraft, combat helicopters…many such defence systems are being manufactured in India today,” he said.
The PM further said that India is not only a major market globally but a vast opportunity for the world as well. He said that lack of policy initiatives in this (defence manufacturing) direction in the last several decades led to India becoming the biggest importer of defence platforms.
“This time maximum number of Defence manufacturers and as many as 150 companies from all over the world are part of this Expo,” he said. Besides, defence ministers from more than 30 countries and hundreds of business leaders are also present here, he added.
Modi also highlighted that problems like misuse of technology, terrorism and cyber threat are big challenges for the whole world. “Considering these security challenges, all defence forces in the world are evolving new technologies and India is also not behind in this,” he said while touching upon the focus of this year’s Def Expo- ‘Digital Transformation of Defence’.
Also present on the occasion were Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Minister of State for Defence Shrip[ad Yesso Naik, Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath and UP Governor Anandiben Patel. The main theme of the DefExpo India 2020 is ‘India: The Emerging Defence Manufacturing Hub’.
Delegations from 70 countries and 172 foreign military manufacturers attended the five-day mega exhibition. As many as 856 Indian defence firms including DRDO and HAL also showcase their products at the event.
The 11th edition of DefExpo promises to bring new technologies and solutions on a single platform for defence manufacturing firms from India and abroad.
