Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has said the country is moving towards self-reliance in the defence sector as defence production has nearly quadrupled to around 1.8 lakh crore rupees and exports have surged to nearly 39,000 crore rupees over the last decade. The Defence Minister made the remarks after laying the foundation stone of a 472-crore rupees facility for the overhaul of T-series battle tanks at the 57-year-old Vehicle Factory Jabalpur (VFJ), in Madhya Pradesh.
Mr Singh said, the government has set a target of achieving defence exports worth 50 thousand crore rupees by 2028-29 fiscal. He said India was not only manufacturing weapons domestically but was also developing the capability to maintain, overhaul and upgrade them.
He described the tank overhaul project as a major milestone for India’s self-reliant industrial ecosystem. He added, the project would also open up employment opportunities for local people. Expressing confidence that the facility would be completed on schedule and to high-quality standards, Singh said the upcoming project would overhaul 80 T-72 and T-90 tanks annually. He said, the Indian Army requires the overhaul of around 230 such tanks every year. He added that the Heavy Vehicles Factory (HVF) at Avadi currently overhauls around 150 tanks annually, and the new facility at VFJ will bridge the remaining shortfall, the defence minister said.
VFJ, Established in 1969, initially produced Shaktiman 3-tonne vehicles in collaboration with Germany’s MAN, as well as Nissan 1T and Jonga vehicles in collaboration with Japan’s Nissan Motors Co.
The factory complex is spread over 330 acres, while its adjoining estate covers another 600 acres, officials said.
