Speaking at the Aero India 2021 here in Bengaluru, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday said that the event, which is being conducted in a hybrid format with a concurrent virtual exhibition, has truly gone digital and global.
"In order to maximise the reach and participation, the event is being conducted in a hybrid format with a concurrent virtual exhibition which will integrate Seminars, B2B interactions etc. It will be not incorrect to say, that Aero India 21 has truly gone digital and global," the Defence Minister said.
Asserting that the government has taken steps to strengthen our security apparatus, he said: "Domestic manufacturing of bigger and complex defence platforms has now become the focus of our policy under 'Atmrbhar Bharat Abhiyan'. We plan to spend 130 Billion Dollar on military modernization in the next 7-8 years."
"The Government of India has enhanced FDI in Defence Sector up to 74 per cent through the Automatic Route and 100 per cent through the Government route, which would act as a catalyst for foreign players to invest in India," he said.
The Defence Minister expressed his deep sense of gratitude to the Defence Ministers from Maldives, Ukraine, Equatorial Guinea, Iran, Comoros and Madagascar who have joined this show in person, and many others who are joining virtually.
"I have been informed that about 540 exhibitors including 80 foreign compes, Defence Ministers, Delegates, Service chiefs and officials from more than 55 nations are participating in this event. It reflects growing optimism of the global community," Singh said.
Earlier in the day, a contract to manufacture 83 Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas fighters was awarded to the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) by the Defence Ministry during the event.
( With inputs from ANI )
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