Aero India: Strong defence sector key for Make in India initiative, says PM Modi

Inaugurating the 10th edition of the Aero India 2015 in Bengaluru on Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said it was important to modernise India’s defence forces and increase preparedness. [caption id=“attachment_2105299” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] PM Narendra Modi said the defence industry needed to be dynamic. PTI[/caption] “We do need to increase our defence preparedness. We do have to modernise our defence forces,” said Modi as he flagged off South Asia’s biggest air show to showcase India’s air prowess and seek investments from global aerospace firms to realise his government’s ‘Make in India’ programme in the strategic defence sector. Modi is the second prime minister - after HD Deva Gowda in February 1997 - to unveil the biennial Aero India expo. “We have to equip ourselves for the needs of the future, where technology will play a major role,” he said. Describing it as the “largest ever” Aero India, Modi said it reflected a “new level of confidence within our country and global interest in India.” He added it was a “mega meeting” of one of the largest global supply chains with the most advanced technology and complex equipment. “For me, this is not just a trade fair for defence equipment. This is a mega meeting of one of the largest global supply chains with the most advanced technologies and complex equipments and a platform to launch India’s defence manufacturing sector,” said Modi. “Aero India can be a catalyst in realising our goals for the defence industry,” said the PM. He also said the government was focusing on developing India’s defence industry with a sense of “mission”. “This is why it is at the heart of the Make in India programme,” he said. “We have introduced significant reforms in our offsets policy. I am acutely aware that it still needs a lot of improvements. We will pursue them,” he added, while also expressing confidence that India would emerge as a “major global centre for defence industry”. “A strong Indian defence industry will not only make India more secure, it will also make India more prosperous,” he said. “Our defence industry in private sector is still small, but has already employed thousands of people,” said the Prime Minister. “60 percent of our defence equipment continues to be imported. Even a 20-25 percent decrease in imports would create 100 thousand jobs in India.” Modi also said that India would expand its exports in the defence industry, but “will ensure that our equipment does not fall into the wrong hands.” The Prime Minister also said that there was a lot that still needed to be done in the defence sector. “We must ensure that our tax system does not discriminate against domestic manufacture in comparison to imports,” Modi said. The Prime Minister said India’s defence industry will succeed more “if we can transform the manufacturing sector in the country”. Stressing on the need for reducing imports, Modi said, “If we could raise percentage of domestic procurement from 40 percent to 70 percent in next five years, we would double the output in our defence industry.” Modi also spoke about involving country’s scientists soldiers, academia, industry and independent experts more closely in research and development. Modi said that as a nation of one billion people, India also has a huge requirement for managing internal security. “We are increasingly integrating technology and systems into it,” he said. “We must bridge the gap between prototype development and quality production,” he said. “Our aerospace industry alone will need 200 thousand people in the next 10 years…In some areas of defence, we are where we were 30 years ago. We need to develop a dynamic defence industry.” The PM also talked about the importance of the involvement of the government in research and development in the defence sector. “Government support for research and development is essential for the development sector,” he said, adding that the government was introdcuing a scheme for prototype development in India. Modi also talked about increasing the FDI and FII limits in the defence sector. “Foreign firms must turn into our strategic partners. We need their technology and skills,” he said. The 10th international edition of the aerospace and aviation exhibition involves the participation of 54 ministerial and other high-level delegations from several countries. Over 600 companies, including 295 Indian and 328 foreign companies, are taking part. The US with 64 companies has the biggest presence at the event, said to be the largest ever air show to be hosted so far in India, in which 33 other countries are taking part. France is the second biggest participant with 58 companies, followed by the UK with 48, Russia with 41, Israel with 25 and Germany with 17, organisers said. Indian Air Force Sarang Team and air display teams from Sweden, UK, Czech Republic and open sky jump by USA Special Forces are among the top draws at the event. Seven of the 11 foreign military aircraft on display are American - two F-15C Eagles, two F-16C Fighting Falcons, one Boeing KC-135 tanker, one C-17 Globemaster III and a P-8A Poseidon maritime surveillance aircraft. Three Rafale fighters of French giant Dassault - shortlisted for acquisition by the IAF - will fly aerobatics displays. (With inputs from IANS)

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Aero India: Strong defence sector key for Make in India initiative, says PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said it was important to modernise India’s defence forces and increase preparedness.

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