Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, on Tuesday, allayed apprehensions of global CEOs of defence manufacturers on India’s push for self-reliance in the sector might constrict space for them to do business here.

During CEOs Round Table at Aero India 2023 in Bengaluru, Rajnath Singh told the top brass of the industry from India and abroad to support the Indian government’s endeavour to design, develop and manufacture cutting-edge products using critical technologies.

With India aggressively pushing for Aatmanirbharta in defence, some foreign companies feel that the chances of doing big-ticket military deals have been reduced, but the government tried to assured them that business still can be done owing to the opportunities such as tax incentives and policy relaxations being offered in the defence sector, a top functionary of a foreign firm told businessline on conditions of anonymity.

The Defence Minister, according to an official statement, asserted that India does not want to remain just an assembly workshop and, instead, is looking to engage with friendly countries in defence and security based on sharing expertise and capabilities under the ‘Make in India, Make for the World’ vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He assured industry leaders that the government is open to new ideas and is committed to fully harness the energy, entrepreneurial spirit and capability of private sector partners in the area of defence production, the ministry stated.

Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane also pitched India as the destination for defence manufacturing, while his junior colleague, Anurag Bajpai, gave a presentation to impress on the fact that GST imposed is less besides talking about ease of business steps government has taken to remove bureaucratic and policy clutter.

The CEOs and top functionaries of participating companies included Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Israel Aerospace Industries, General Atomics, Liebherr Group, Raytheon Technologies, Safran, General Authority of Military Industries, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, Bharat Electronics Limited, Bharat Dynamics Limited, BEML Limited, Mishra Dhatu Nigam Limited, Larsen & Toubro, Bharat Forge, Dynamatic Technologies and BrahMos Aerospace.

Many foreign OEMs made announcements regarding their plans for investments and collaborations including Safran, Boeing, Collins Aerospace, Pratt & Whitney and Thales in defence and aerospace sector, said the defence ministry. General Atomics and Bharat Forge announced to deepen their collaboration in aircraft components and parts. Similarly, Hensoldt announced Design/TOT and IPR transfer of obstacle avoidance system for Indian Helicopters and co development of Advanced Multi Sensor Electro-optics Airborne Gimbals for Indian and world market.

CEOs of domestic companies including Bharat Forge, L&T and Mahindra Defence Systems shared their views on major reforms and their impetus for robust defence system under Aatmanirbharta.

A short film highlighting the robust Indian defence ecosystem showcasing indigenously designed, developed platforms were projected exhibiting Indian capabilities and strengths.

Related Topics
comment COMMENT NOW