Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged youths, startups and innovators to focus on the defence sector, saying India needs expertise and enthusiasm and opportunities available are unprecedented.
In a post on LinkedIn, the PM wrote that the plan is not just to make India self-reliant when it comes to defence manufacturing but for the country to become a global leader in the coming days
The post, which came days after the PM inaugurated a new Tata-Airbus facility that will make military aircraft, listed out the steps taken by the government to promote entry into the earlier restrictive sector.
“The doors are open for innovation, the policies are supportive and the opportunity is unprecedented,” he wrote, saying that this is the “moment to be part of history”.
Describing the inauguration of the new factory as a watershed moment in India’s defence and aerospace journey, the PM said that the speed of its execution has been breathtakingly fast, with the unit up and running within two years. “This is a clear manifestation of a new work culture and the capabilities of the people of India, he wrote.
The PM said impacts of government policies on the defence sector are already visible, with reduced import dependency, job creation across the sector, a boost to MSMEs and skill development. “From a time when our forces faced critical equipment shortages to today’s era of self-reliance – this is a journey that every Indian can be proud of,” he wrote.
He added that defence production has soared to ₹1.27 lakh crore in 2023-24 and exports have skyrocketed.