Defence Industry Crucial to Self-Reliance

New Delhi, May 25 (UNI) Stressing the need for the defence industry to play a dominant and crucial role in self-reliance, the Army's Master General of Ordnance Lt Gen Nirbhay Sharma today called upon the private sector to increase its share in defence Research&Development efforts.

Delivering the Valedictory Address at the two-day National Seminar here on 'Enhancing Combat Potential through Indigenisation and Modernisation' -- organised by the Directorate General of Electrical&Mechanical Engineers of the Indian Army, Lt Gen Sharma pointed to the Indian Army presently undergoing an unparallelled modernisation drive with a large number of state-of-art equipment being procured.

He regretted that despite a large number of Public Sector Undertakings, Ordnance Factories and Defence Research&Development Establishments, the country still had to import some of its top and cutting-edge technology since indigenous defence industries capabilities and R&D base was not yet sufficiently developed to meet all defence requirements in-house.

Lt Gen Sharma said the required indigenisation in critical technologies could be achieved only when indigenous know-how and competence was backed by availability of all critical materials and components within the country.

Referring to the modernisation requirement of Ordnance factories, he said the Government had finalised a plan which encompassed upgrading technology, augmenting capacities and replacement of old/obsolete technologies and production facilities with plant and machinery of the latest technology.

Lt Gen Sharma said technologies and machines being planned were flexible so as to cater to a wide range of products.

The two-day seminar was inaugurated yesterday by Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee and addressed also by Army Chief General JJ Singh, Secretary-Defence Production KP Singh and Secretary-DRDO M Natarajan.

UNI DG MSJ RAI2051