Military hardware mfg at `3L cr by 2029: Rajnath

Pune: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Thursday that the government expects to achieve an annual target of manufacturing military hardware worth Rs3 lakh crore in India and Rs50,000 crore in exports by 2029 as part of the big push to self-reliance in the defence sector.

“Operation Sindoor is a glowing testimony to India’s growing indigenous prowess, which is a result of the government’s relentless efforts to create a self-reliant defence manufacturing ecosystem within the country,” the minister said in his address to the students of Symbiosis Skills and Professional University here. When the government commenced work to make India self-reliant in defence, it seemed difficult in the beginning; however, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, no stone was left unturned to expand the domestic defence manufacturing, and the efforts began to yield positive results due to this resolve, he said.

“We pledged to move towards transforming the defence sector because, since independence, we had been heavily dependent on other countries for weapons. We had become accustomed to purchasing weapons as we lacked the political will to manufacture in India,” he said.