NEW DELHI: Defence Production secretary Subash Chandra has emphasised on the need of MSMEs and start-ups in the defence manufacturing ecosystem, saying they need to be encouraged not just by the defence public sector companies but also the armed forces.
At the seminar titled ‘Army Make Project-2019’ organised by FICCI in collaboration with Indian Army, Chandra stated, “MSMEs and start-ups need to be integrated into the defence manufacturing ecosystem.”
“MSMEs across the globe have been the drivers of change and innovative solutions. That is where we feel our entire ecosystem must come together to support the larger manufacturing environment.”
He emphasized that collaboration between industry and defence is the need of the day and pointed out that the DDP would extend all possible support to sort out industry concerns.
“Industry concerns have also been taken into consideration and demystifying of work processes will come only through interactions. The three-armed forces also need to open their doors for discussions with the industry,” he added.
Meanwhile speaking at the seminar, Vice Chief of the Army Staff, Lt Gen Manoj Mukund Naravane said, “Government is committed to Indianization and Make in India. We have the capability but unfortunately, we have not built upon it, or we have not changed with time. Now is the time to build up once again the inherent capability to become self-reliant.”
“To reduce the import dependence, Naravane stressed upon the need for higher spending on research and development (R&D), stating, “We will be able to proceed only if we spend on R&D. That has been our greatest weakness. Unless we invest in R&D, unless we think of future generation requirements, we will always be playing catch-up.”
“Government, armed forces and industry have to join hands together to achieve the desired goal of the MAKE process. The industry needs fundamental platforms, and technological products to be done in India,” said FICCI Chairman, JD Patil.
“From 1991 the whole Indian industry has dramatically grown up and become largest in certain sectors across the world. If that can happen in the industry, so can happen in defence,” he added.
The member of the FICCI Defence Committee and Managing Director, Col HS Shankar (Retd) said, “In MAKE-II, the risk is with the industry and not with the services. We need services to make quick decisions.”
