Make in India neither 'isolationist' nor meant for country alone: Rajnath Singh

Rajnath Singh emphasised that Government's efforts towards 'Make in India' are neither isolationist nor are they just meant for India alone.

New Delhi, Jan 09: Government's efforts towards 'Make in India' are neither isolationist nor are they just meant for India alone, asserted Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday amid growing global concerns over China's bullying behaviour.

In an address at an ambassadors' roundtable on the upcoming Aero India exhibition, Rajnath Singh gave a broad overview of India's growing defence industrial capabilities, stating that efforts are being made towards enhancing manufacturing capabilities, particularly in the emerging areas of drones, cyber-tech, Artificial Intelligence, radars, etc.

He added that a robust defence manufacturing ecosystem has been created which has led to the emergence of India as a leading defence exporter in recent years. The defence exports have grown by eight times in the last five years and now India is exporting to over 75 countries.

"Our large population and abundant skilled work-force has led to the creation of a thriving innovation ecosystem, led by start-ups in high technology areas. These, in turn, are collaborating with the established R&D institutions and industries to develop and manufacture high-end defence platforms and systems at a comparability lower cost," Rajnath Singh said, stressing that the Indian aerospace and defence manufacturing sector is well prepared to take up future challenges and capitalise on emerging opportunities.

He highlighted that India has domestically produced the Light Combat Aircraft and the manufacturing of Light Utility Helicopter has also commenced.

Rajnath Singh emphasised that Government's efforts towards 'Make in India' are neither isolationist nor are they just meant for India alone.

"Our self-reliance initiative is the beginning of a new paradigm of partnership with our partner countries. Partnerships are being made with global defence industry giants. Recently, we signed a contract for manufacture of C-295 aircraft for the Indian Air Force through collaboration between Tata Advanced Systems Limited and Airbus Defence and Space S.A., Spain. 'Make in India' encompasses 'Make for the World'. It translates into an open offer to all for joint efforts and partnerships in defence R&D and production," Rajnath Singh was uoted as sayig in a defence ministry statement.

Rajnath Singh termed 'partnership' and 'joint efforts' as the two keywords that differentiate India's defence industry partnership with other nations. He reiterated that India does not believe in a hierarchical conception of world order, where few countries are considered superior to others.

"India's international relations are guided by the very essence of human equality and dignity which is a part of our ancient ethos. We do not believe in making or becoming a client or satellite state, and so, when we partner with any nation, it is on the basis of sovereign equality and mutual respect. Forging relations comes naturally to India, as we work towards our cherished goal of a secure and prosperous world," he said.

Rajnath Singh described it as the Government's endeavour to transcend the relation of buyer and seller to that of co-development and co-production model, irrespective of India being a buyer or a seller.

"We are a major defence buyer as well as a significant defence exporter. When we are procuring defence equipment from our valued partner nations, very often they share the technical know-how, set up manufacturing plants in India and work with our local firms for various sub-systems. And when we export our defence equipment, we offer our full support towards the capability development of the buyer through sharing of technology, training, co-production etc.," he said.