New Delhi: After what was described as family monopoly of the defence industry in 1980s as an ex Major General of army made a sensational disclosure, but since then, it has come a long way with a transformation as the current financial year saw a record defence production worth as high as Rs 1 Lakh crore.
India now has capability of exporting the products linked to space and defence sector as well, the target of which has been set at US$ 5 billion by the end of 2025. The defence export of India during last decade has increased 23 times touching the figure of Rs 16,000 crore. Overall 85 countries responded in a great way to brace up their defence system with BRAHMOS and Akash missiles; Tejas fighter planes; Radars; Pinaka rocket and launcher. Even France, Russia and Israel now prefer to purchase offshore petrol vessels; body armours; mine-protected vehicles; avionics and such other exclusively from India, more notably.
This boom in the rise of self-reliance in production and subsequent export is seen also due to 4,666 defence related items have been notified to be not imported from abroad. It is because of this that the amount of license for the production granted to industries in the defence sector has increased as high as 200% . FDI is made more accessible with its limit being increased up to 74%. Two new defence corridors are recently being developed in the states UP and Tamil Nadu . Innovation for defence excellence (IDEX) scheme is launched, under which the start-ups and MSMEs engaged in manufacturing sectors are exhorted to be innovative at the domestic level itself.
In Bangalore, a unit of helicopter factory belonging to HAL (Hindustan Aeronautics Limited) has recently been inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The deal for building the 83 Tejas fighter planes under make-in-India is termed as the biggest one so far with total amount to be incurred around Rs 48,000 crores. The coming days will see in all 5000 components more to have gone indigenisation or Swadeshikaran , says the sources close to defence sectors. These steps will naturally benefit 24,000 MSMEs engaged thereof in the country.
