Defence Production dept steps up state outreach, holds talks with Karnataka officials
Bengaluru (PTI): The Department of Defence Production, Ministry of Defence, on Friday said it is actively engaging with states as part of its outreach to strengthen the country’s defence manufacturing ecosystem.
In this context, Rolley M Varma, IOFS, Deputy Director General (DDG), DDP, interacted with officials from the Department of Industries and Commerce, Government of Karnataka, the Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB), and the Karnataka Aerospace Technology Centre (KATC), the ministry said in a statement.
Varma underlined the importance of strong Centre-state partnerships in building a robust defence production ecosystem.
She highlighted several Central government initiatives to accelerate the ‘Make in India’ vision in defence—including increased budget allocations for domestic industry, streamlining of the Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP), preference for indigenous content, and the promulgation of Positive Indigenisation Lists (PILs).
Other measures highlighted were the launch of the Srijan Defence Portal, facilitation of defence exports, the Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) scheme, liberalised FDI policy, simplified industrial licensing, and the strengthening of defence testing facilities.
The statement said Karnataka’s pivotal role in advancing the sector was also underscored.
Discussions focused on the state’s initiatives to promote design, R&D, and innovation in defence manufacturing; the establishment of the Defence and Aerospace Park at Devanahalli as a hub for advanced manufacturing; state-level policy reforms to ease doing business and attract investment; and the implementation of the Aerospace & Defence Policy to boost industrial growth.
S Selvakumar, Principal Secretary, Commerce and Industries Department, and Gunjan Krishna, Commissioner for Industrial Development and Director, Department of Commerce, said Karnataka has always been at the forefront of defence and aerospace production, hosting a large cluster of public and private enterprises.
They added that the state remains committed to working closely with the Ministry of Defence to achieve India’s self-reliance in the sector.
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Four of family killed as car jumps divider on highway in Gujarat's Panchmahal
Godhra (Gujarat) (PTI): Four members of a family were killed, and one sustained grievous injuries after their speeding car jumped a divider on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway corridor in Gujarat's Panchmahal district on Monday, police said.
The car driver lost control of the wheels near Kalol. As a result, the four-wheeler jumped the divider and veered off to the other side of the highway, an official from Kalol police station said.
Soon after the accident, some locals rushed to the scene and also alerted the police. Efforts were made to pull out the people trapped in the car.
Four persons died on the spot, while one suffered injuries, the official said.
The deceased were members of a family from Vadodara and were returning from Rajasthan when the tragedy struck, the official said.
They have been identified as Sajid Iqbal Khinji (55), Ilyas Iqbal Khinji (50), Ishaq Iqbal Khinji (48) and Rehan Azgar Khinji (35).
