Nashik, Oct 17 Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Friday that there was a time when the country was dependent on other countries to meet its defence needs, and nearly 65-70 per cent of the defence equipment was imported.
"But today, this situation has changed; now India is doing 65 per cent manufacturing on its own soil and very soon, will take domestic manufacturing to 100 per cent as well," he added.
He was speaking at an event held by the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in Nashik where he inaugurated the third production line for the Tejas Mk1A and the second production line for the Hindustan Turbo Trainer-40 aircraft.
"The pace at which India has achieved self-reliance in the fields of defence and technology over the past 10–12 years is truly remarkable. What we used to buy from outside earlier, today we are manufacturing those very things in our own country. Fighter aircrafts, missiles, engines, electronic warfare systems, India has made tremendous progress in all these areas," the Defence Minister said.
He also added, "The idea of self-reliance in the defence sector is not a new one. For the past 10 years, under the leadership of the Prime Minister, the NDA government had clearly understood that without becoming self-reliant, we can never be truly secure. Moving forward in the direction of self-reliance, we have not only reduced import dependence, but also strengthened the commitment to indigenisation with the Tejas Mk1A project being a significant step in this direction."
"Our defence export, which used to be less than Rs 1,000 crore, has now reached a record Rs 25,000 crore. We have now set a target to achieve Rs 3 lakh crore in domestic defence manufacturing and Rs 50,000 crore in defence exports by 2029," the Defence Minister said.
"If I talk about the figures, then in the year 2014-15, our defence production was Rs 46,429 crore, whereas in 2024-25, it has increased to more than Rs 1,46,000 crore. These are not just facts; this is the flight of self-reliance of our country," he noted.
According to the Defence Minister, the construction of LCA Tejas and HTT-40 aircraft that is taking place is also the result of collaboration among various industry partners in our country.
"This collaboration is proof that when government, industries, and academia work together, no challenge remains too big."
"We can no longer remain limited just to the LCA Tejas or HTT-40. Now is the time that we establish our identity in the field of next generation aircrafts, unmanned systems and civil aviation as well. And I am fully confident that HAL Nashik will play an important role in all these areas in the coming times. Today we are emphasising state of the art, indigenous technologies. I am very pleased to see that Hindustan Aeronautics Limited is strongly representing India in this direction," the Defence Minister said.
"With this new beginning, I can also confidently say that this will create thousands of new employment opportunities in Nashik and the surrounding areas. New avenues for training and employment will open up for the youth here. The entire industrial ecosystem of Maharashtra and neighbouring states will become even more empowered by this. I also salute those brave soldiers of the Indian Air Force, who have shown trust in Indian aircraft like Tejas and HTT-40," he added.
As far as high defence technology is concerned, Rajnath Singh said that it is not just about machines or weapons, it is the story of our thinking, our capability and our confidence.
"Today, the country have also strengthened our position in space. Our Aerospace industry is also showing rapid growth today. Under the 'Make In India' initiative, we have taken measures such as encouraging local manufacturing and the production of aerospace equipment. In today's time, the ways of warfare are changing. Today, things like artificial intelligence, cyber warfare, drone systems, and next-generation aircraft are determining the direction of the future. Now, wars are not being fought just on land or in the sky, but also on numerous frontiers. India has to always stay ahead in this new race," he added.
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