India does not want to remain 'assembly workshop' for military platforms: Rajnath Singh

Rajnath Singh asserted that India does not want to remain just an assembly workshop and is looking to engage with friendly countries in defence and security based on sharing expertise and capabilities.

New Delhi, Feb 13: India does not want to remain an "assembly workshop" for military platforms, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh conveyed to the top honchos of Indian and global aerospace majors.

He called upon Indian and global industry leaders to support the Government's endeavour to design, develop and manufacture cutting-edge products, using critical technologies, within the country to attain complete 'Aatmanirbharta' in defence, with the overall objective of achieving shared global peace and prosperity.

He was addressing over 70 CEOs of local and global Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) during a Round Table organised as part of Aero India 2023 in Bengaluru on Monday.

Rajnath Singh asserted that India does not want to remain just an assembly workshop and is looking to engage with friendly countries in defence and security based on sharing expertise and capabilities under the 'Make in India, Make for the World' vision of PM Modi.

He assured industry leaders that the government is open to new ideas and is committed to fully harness the energy, entrepreneurial spirit and capability of private sector partners in the area of defence production. He extended government's full support towards removing obstacles and facilitating businesses.

Singh voiced the Government's resolve of nurturing a vibrant and world-class defence manufacturing industry, terming it as the key driver of Indian economy. He enumerated a number of far-reaching reforms undertaken by Ministry of Defence to create a business-friendly climate in the country.

These include setting up of defence corridors in Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu; simplification of industrial licensing processes; hike in cap on FDI in defence; opening of government trial and testing facilities for the private sector; increase in capital outlay for defence in Budget 2023-24 and launch of Technology Development Fund and Innovations for Defence Excellence. He said, these reforms will enable Indian defence products to compete with established global defence and aerospace companies.

Singh stressed that indigenisation is the mantra for India today, unlike in the past when import was the default option. He appreciated the growing enthusiasm & greater participation of private players in defence production and expressed confidence that the CEOs Round Table will sow the seeds of successful new ventures and partnerships, boost investment, expand indigenous manufacturing and bolster aerospace and defence ecosystem in India. He stated that the partnership between Government and the Industry is based on equality & mutual trust.

The CEOs Round Table was organised on the theme 'Sky is not the limit: opportunities beyond boundaries'. The participating companies included Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Israel Aerospace Industries, General Atomics, Liebherr Group, Raytheon Technologies, Safran, General Authority of Military Industries, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, Bharat Electronics Limited, Bharat Dynamics Limited, BEML Limited, Mishra Dhatu Nigam Limited, Larsen & Toubro, Bharat Forge, Dynamatic Technologies and BrahMos Aerospace.

This platform was to forge partnerships between domestic and global Industries of the aerospace and defence sector to address the present and future global needs and discuss the importance of supply chain strategy and operations as the world deals with the aftermath of the pandemic and global disruptions.

More than 75 companies, including 28 foreign OEMs from 15 countries and domestic companies & DPSUs participated in the discussion. There was official participation from Countries of Sudan and Saudi Arabia. The significance of roundtable discussion as "dialogue between equals" was emphasised.

The CEO Roundtable engaged industries for co-development and co-production to make India a Commercial Manufacturing Hub and base for global product support, while exploring Indian and Global market.

"Make in India" is a flagship initiative launched by Narendra Modi government, with the goal of promoting the country as a global manufacturing hub and attracting foreign investment and technology. The initiative aims to encourage companies to set up their manufacturing units in India, thereby boosting employment, economic growth and the country's exports.

The government has also launched a number of programs aimed at boosting the domestic defense industry, such as the Strategic Partnership Model, which aims to develop long-term partnerships between Indian and foreign defense companies to develop and manufacture advanced defense technologies in India.