New Delhi: With DefExpo invariably being held in the home state of the Defence Ministers since the taking over of Modi government in 2014 as was held in Goa (of late Manohar Parrikar) and Chennai (of Nirmala Sitharaman), the four-day 11th edition of biennial DefExpo India- 2020 is scheduled to be held for the first time in Lucknow from February 5-8 next year.
Lucknow, capital city of the most populous state Uttar Pradesh (UP) of the country, is also the Parliamentary constituency of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
Uttar Pradesh being one of the Defence Industrial Corridor (DIC) with the other in Tamil Nadu, this exhibition offers an excellent opportunity for the Indian defence industry to showcase its capabilities and promote its export potential.
The theme of the DefExpo India- 2020 will be ‘India: The Emerging Defence Manufacturing Hub’ and focus will be on ‘Digital Transformation of Defence,’ said a Defence Ministry release.
The shows are conducted at an international level, which not only facilitates Business-to-Business (B2B) interaction with foreign delegations but also Government-to-Government (G2G) meetings and signing of Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs). The exhibition will also highlight emergence of UP as an attractive destination for investment in the defence sector and act as a platform for alliances and joint ventures in the defence industry.
The state has a strong defence industrial infrastructure. It has four units of Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd at Lucknow, Kanpur, Korwa and Naini (Prayagraj), nine ordnance factory units including Kanpur, Korwa, Shahjahanpur, Firozabad and one unit of Bharat Electronics Limited at Ghaziabad.
The DIC will encourage Defence Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), including Indian defence industry and promote Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs).
The DefExpo will provide an opportunity to the major foreign Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) to collaborate with the Indian defence industry and help promote Make in India initiative of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
This provides a unique platform for Defence industry OEMs, exhibitors and private industry to display their latest innovations and capabilities.
The expo held biennially will provide a platform for Ministerial level delegations from abroad get closer look at the progress made by India in the defence sector. Besides, it would be attracting visitors from all over the country as well as abroad to get a glimpse of India’s emergence as a major manufacturing hub providing attractive opportunities for co-development and co-production of defence equipment and systems not only for Indian defence forces but also for export.
