GG News Bureau
Imphal, 10th Jan.
Bharat: Pioneering a State-of-the-Art Domestic Defence Industry
A robust and well-equipped military protects a country from external and internal threats. It functions as a defence mechanism, mirroring the country’s military capability and capacity to defend itself in any situation. As a result, arming the military with cutting-edge technology and modernising the existing inventory of weapons and surveillance systems is critical. To reinforce its security and intelligence, as well as to secure its territorial integrity, Bharat has to establish a strong military force equipped with cutting-edge defence technology.
An indigenous industry will become increasingly important in the next few years, not only to meet Bharat’s needs but also to export. Since its independence, Bharat has sought self-sufficiency, but its efforts have yielded disappointing results.
The Defence Minister Rajnath Singh stated that the government is building a strong domestic defence industrial ecosystem in order to transform the country into a strategic economy. In his address to the 21st Convocation of Tezpur University, Singh stated that his government is making every effort to realise the goal of becoming self-sufficient in the defence sector.
“Our government is developing a strong base of domestic defence industrial ecosystem to make Bharat a strategic economy”, he went on to say. Singh emphasised the many initiatives made by the Ministry of Defence, stating that for the first time, imports of weaponry decreased while exports increased.
Further he added, “we issued five positive indigenisation lists, under which 509 defence equipment have been identified whose manufacturing will now be done indigenously. “In addition, we have also issued four positive indigenisation lists of Defence Public Sector Undertakings, in which 4,666 items have been identified and these will now be manufactured in our country.”
Talking about the domestic defence manufacturing, Singh said that the production has crossed the record figure of Rs 1,00,000 crore for the first time. “The total value of Bharat’s defence exports, which was Rs 1,521 crore in 2016-17, has increased almost 10 times to reach a record level of Rs 15,920 crore in 2022-23,” he stated.
In the 1960s and 1970s, Bharat built up its domestic defence production capabilities with the assistance of countries such as the former Soviet Union and the United Kingdom, principally for the assembly under licence.
The call for Aatmanirbhar Bharat has offered further impetus to achieve self-sufficiency. The vision of the Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi is Atmanirbhar Bharat. On May 12, 2020, a special economic and comprehensive package worth INR 20 lakh crores, or nearly 10% of Bharat’s GDP, was made available to help Bharat become self-sufficient and overcome the difficulties posed by COVID-19.
The five pillars of Aatma Nirbhar Bharat are Economy, Infrastructure, System, Vibrant Demography, and Demand. When Bharat talks about becoming self-sufficient, it does not advocate for a self-centered system. Instead, Bharat is concerned with the international community’s happiness, collaboration, and peace-Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam.
Because it is one of the most important sectors of Bharat’s economy, the defence sector was selected as an essential area with many prospects for self-reliance. Because of the enormous, competent pool of human resource skill sets and the wide-scale modernisation requirements of the Indian Armed Forces, it has the potential for tremendous expansion. The defence sector would benefit the economy by creating jobs and saving the government money by lowering the import load. The Defence Industry, encompassing Aerospace and Naval Shipbuilding, is predicted to be worth 85,000 Cr (2020-21). While the Public Sector is anticipated to provide 68,000 crores, the Private Sector’s participation has progressively increased to more than 17,000 crores in recent years.
To further progress and improve the capabilities of our Indian Armed Forces, the capital investment for the military sector in the fiscal year 2022-23 was increased by 12.82% over the previous year. To reduce import dependence and upgrade our forces with home grown technology, the government has gradually boosted the local industry’s capital procurement budget, which now stands at 68% for fiscal year 2022-23. This will surely create numerous opportunities for the domestic industry. Furthermore, modernisation requirements and the design and production ecology are intertwined.
Furthermore, R&D and technology development are critical to Defense’s self-sufficiency. Realising the aim of Rs. 1,75,000 crore in sales and Rs. 35,000 crore in exports in the defence sector by 2025 would be impossible without a focus on innovation and R&D. The concept of Aatmanirbharta in Defence should not be restricted to production alone. It should also include the priority of developing indigenous capabilities in current and emerging technologies, as well as establishing design leadership among business, start-ups, and academics.
The key factors affecting the promising defence industry are delays in trials and testing processes, a lack of proof stock components, and a lack of access to test amenities in one location, resulting in increased transportation costs due to a limited number of ranges and long waiting times. Access to an up-to-date testing structure is required for the Design and evolution system’s long-term evolution. To address this issue, the MoD has established 134 Test Labs and 25 Proof Ranges/Field Firing Ranges across the country.
Bharat is a striving superpower. The Indian Armed Forces must be modernised in order to take their rightful place among the world’s premier forces. The constant threat from its immediate surroundings fuels the desire to modernise. Conflicts over unresolved boundary disputes with China and Pakistan, terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir, insurgency in the North-Eastern states, the uncontrollable threat of left-wing extremism, and the rise of urban terrorism have all complicated Bharat’s security environment. Modern weaponry is required to fight a modern conflict.
