India to focus on taking domestic defence production to 100 per cent: Rajnath
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Nashik (PTI): India is looking at taking domestic defence production to 100 per cent as dependence on foreign military supplies creates "strategic vulnerability", Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Friday.
He said this after inaugurating a third production line of Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA)-Mk1A and a second manufacturing facility of trainer jet HTT-40.
"There was a time when the country was dependent on other countries to meet its defence needs, and almost 65-70 percent of defence equipment was imported," Singh said in his address.
"But today, this situation has changed; now India is doing 65 per cent manufacturing on its own soil. Very soon, we will take our domestic manufacturing to 100 per cent as well," he said.
Listing out major feats achieved in view of the government's efforts to promote self-reliance in defence, Singh said India's annual defence production has surged to over Rs 1.50 lakh crore in 2024-25 from Rs 46,429 crore in 2014-15.
Singh said the defence exports touched an all-time high of Rs 25,000 crore from less than Rs 1,000 crore a decade ago.
"We have now set a target to achieve Rs three lakh crore in domestic defence manufacturing and Rs 50,000 crore in defence exports by 2029," he said.
The defence minister said India can never be secure without achieving self-reliance in the defence sector.
"When we came to power in 2014, we realised that without self-reliance, we can never be truly secure. In the beginning, we faced numerous challenges, the biggest being 'limited defence preparedness' and 'import dependency'," he said.
Singh said everything was limited to government enterprises, and the private sector had no significant participation in the production ecosystem.
"In addition, there was not enough focus on defence planning, advanced technology, and innovation. This forced us to depend on other countries for critical equipment and cutting-edge systems, which increased costs and created strategic vulnerabilities," he said.
Singh said this challenge "encouraged us to move forward in the direction of new thinking and reforms."
"The results are visible today. We not only reduced import dependency, but also strengthened our commitment to indigenisation. Whatever we used to buy from abroad, we are now manufacturing it domestically, be it fighter aircraft, missiles, engines and electronic warfare systems," he said.
On the constantly-evolving nature of modern-day warfare, Singh underscored the importance of staying ahead of the curve as Artificial Intelligence, cyber warfare, drone systems and next-generation aircraft are shaping the future, and wars are being fought across multiple frontiers.
"India must always stay ahead in this new race, and not lag behind," he said, exhorting HAL to make its mark in the fields of next-generation aircraft, unmanned systems and civil aviation, and not limit itself to LCA Tejas or HTT-40," he said.
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Minister Patil chairs industry meetings to chart growth for key sectors in Karnataka
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Minister M B Patil on Tuesday chaired meetings with industry representatives from the aerospace and defence, machine tools, auto/EV, and green energy sectors to discuss sector growth and government support measures.
The meetings were attended by leading industrialists and their representatives, with some participating virtually.
Speaking on the occasion, the minister for Large and Medium Industries said Karnataka is at the forefront of the country’s aerospace and defence sectors.
He noted that Suzuki and Toyota plan to launch aerial taxi services in Japan by 2028, with Bengaluru-based Sasmos supplying electrical equipment for the project.
Industrialists suggested introducing similar “fly-taxi” services in Karnataka through an appropriate policy, which Patil said would be examined seriously.
The minister highlighted the need to establish testing centres and Common Facility Centres for the aerospace and defence industries and assured that these facilities would be provided.
Suggestions were also made to prepare a comprehensive roadmap for sector growth.
Karnataka has urged the Central Government to approve Defence Corridor projects in the Bengaluru North–Kolar–Chikkaballapur and Dharawada–Vijayapura–Belagavi regions.
Industrialists also suggested a corridor between Bengaluru and Mysuru, Patil said.
He said Karnataka aims to become a hub for defence electronics manufacturing, with plans to establish a 200-acre Defence Electronics Park and a 100-acre Avionics and Sensor Park.
These projects will be implemented once the Special Investment Region is operational, and land availability will not be an issue.
On the machine tools sector, Patil said the industry has recorded an annual turnover of Rs 36,500 crore and is witnessing steady growth.
Large-scale exhibitions have increased demand, and the state must strengthen its capabilities to develop control systems for heavy machinery. One testing unit is already operational in Bengaluru, with another planned for Tumakuru. Expansion of vocational training institutes in industrial areas is also underway.
In the Auto and EV sector, Vision Group members highlighted the need for a network of dry ports and more EV charging stations across the state.
Patil noted that the Tata Group is manufacturing EV buses in Dharawada for nationwide supply. Plans for mini excavator production and export facilitation were also discussed, along with the establishment of a testing facility for two-wheeler EVs.
For the Green Energy sector, the group emphasised the need for a suitable policy on battery-based energy storage and the establishment of data centres.
Patil assured that the government will seriously consider all suggestions and respond positively.
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