Setting a target of $5 billion of defence exports to be achieved, Prime minister Narendra Modi blamed past policies that led to India emerging as the world’s biggest importer of defence equipment.
Inaugurating the 11th edition of Defence Expo in Lucknow, Prime Minister said from artillery guns, aircraft carriers, frigates to submarines, defence equipment are being made in India today. He, however, clarified that this statement is “not directed towards any nation”.
“India has always been a peace-loving country, but we have simultaneously taken a responsibility to secure friendly countries. India has not always been a reliable partner of world peace. Despite our direct stake in two World Wars, millions of Indian soldiers were martyred. Today more than six thousand Indian soldiers are part of the UN Peacekeeping Forces,” Modi said while addressing gathering diplomats and defence industries.
Maintaining that national security can be made more powerful by the partnership between the user and the producer, the prime minister also said there are two major requirements for the development of modern weapons—the high potential of research and development and the production of those weapons.
“Our government has made it a major part of our national policy in the last five-six years. We are the second largest population of the world, the world's second largest army and the world's largest democracy. How long do we depend on the foreign military hardware,” the prime minister asked.
To change this, after 2014, prime minister said the government has carried out several policy reforms. “Our motto now is Make In India, for India and for the world,” he added.
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While giving a word of caution, the prime minister said technology can be misused, and added that terrorism and cyber threat have posted a big challenge for the whole world. In view of the new security challenges, all the defense forces of the world are developing new technology. “India is not untouched by this.” Modi said.
Hoping that India would turn into a manufacturing hub for military platforms, the prime minister said defence manufacturing has found new energy in the country. He also informed that in the last two years defence exports worth Rs 17,000 crore have been achieved from Rs 2,000 crore in 2014.
Touching upon the issue of Artificial Intelligence, the prime minister said, “In the next five years, we want to develop at least 25 products associated with Artificial Intelligence in the defence sector.”
Speaking on the occasion, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said the essence of government initiative can be collectively termed as the 3P strategy. “This includes Policy, Production and Partnership.”
He also said as part of government efforts to unleash the potential in defence production, they have liberalised Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) cap to 49 per cent through the direct route, and above that up to 100 per cent through the government route.
“We have established two defence corridors, one each in Uttar Pradesh and in Tamil Nadu. This reflects the vision of developing all the aspects of our defence industrial eco-system in one place and developing it as a cluster, which will be of great benefit to us in times to come,” Rajnath Singh said.
