RAISING THE DEFENCES

An insightful look at why the domestic defence sector is at the bedrock of India’s manufacturing capabilities

- Kruti Bharadva

It was a bright day in September 2014 – especially bright for Indian manufacturing- when Narendra Modi, Prime Minister for India, announced his call to domestic manufacturers – “Make in India!” Half a decade later, India stands proudly as one of the fastest-growing economies of the world.

But India has not yet achieved all that it set out to do in 2014. Addressing a webinar on effective implementation of the Union Budget’s provisions in the defence sector, the Prime Minister rued the fact that the country is still amongst the biggest defence importers in the world.

“The country is working hard to change the situation and enhance its capacities and capabilities at a fast pace. Focusing on our defence industry with a sense of purpose is at the heart of the ‘Make in India’ and ‘Atmanirbhar’ programmes,” the Prime Minister asserted.

THE CALL TO THE PRIVATE SECTOR

In August 2020, pursuant to the ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ initiative, the Department of Defence Production/ Ministry of Defence/Government of India developed a portal named ‘SRIJAN’- the main objective of which is to partner the private sector in indigenization efforts of Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs), OFB and the Armed Forces. The portal is a non-transactional online marketplace platform