Defence Minister Rajnath Singh today said that Government is committed to make defence industry export-oriented with India as a global manufacturing hub. Addressing the 7th Annual General Meeting of Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers (SIDM) in New Delhi, Defence Minister said that the domestic defence production has crossed the record figure of 1 Lakh 27 thousand crore Rupees in the year 2023-24.

The Minister called for increased investment in cutting-edge tech, such as Artificial Intelligence, cyber defence and autonomous systems to be future ready. He also highlighted the steps taken to attain Aatmanirbharta in the sector, including creation of defence industrial corridors in Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, and issuance of positive indigenisation lists. Besides, the Minister also cited corporatisation of Ordnance Factory Board, handholding of private industries by DRDO, and unveiling of Defence Acquisition Procedure 2020 as initiatives taken by his Ministry.

Mr. Singh also urged the SIDM to prepare a roadmap for collaboration on a firm-to-firm basis. He asked them to work closely with the government to address ground-level issues and help these enterprises to play a larger role in defence manufacturing.