'Looking to build national stock of critical minerals'

While Singh enthralled the audience with insights into the reform roadmap for the defence sector after unveiling Blueprint — a unique magazine focussed on defence and geopolitics, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman V Narayanan explained the country’s space vision in a delightful valedictory conversation.

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The private sector had its say too. Rajinder Singh Bhatia, chairman of Kalyani Strategic Systems, the defence subsidiary of Bharat Forge, answered questions on whether reforms have benefited the industry.

“True indigenisation would essentially mean that design and IPR (intellectual property rights) rest within the country,” Singh said about self-reliance in defence that the government is pushing the sector to achieve.

Last year, 88 per cent of capital procurement contracts went to Indian entities, surpassing targets set earlier, he said, adding that reforms under the Defence Acquisition Procedure 2020 will simplify approvals and bolster structured support for startups as well.

“We have to see the public and private sectors as a hybrid dual-use pipeline when it comes to contributing to India’s defence requirements.”

Asthe conversation revolved around indigenisation a bit more, Singh made the carrot and stick remark to underline the need for quality control.

“While we weed out poor manufacturing practices, we also need to incentivise those whose manufacturing quality meets our requirements by allowing them self-certification. Both carrot and stick need to be applied...”