New Delhi : Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh urged India’s defence industry to prioritise production of individual subsystems and components and to dominate supply and maintenance chains, while highlighting the strides made under the government’s push for self-reliance at the SIDM Annual Session in New Delhi.
He noted that prior to 2014 India was largely dependent on imports for defence needs, but domestic production has since surged. Defence manufacturing has risen from around Rs 46,000 crore in 2014 to a record Rs 1.51 lakh crore today, with the private sector contributing about Rs 33,000 crore. Defence exports have grown from under Rs 1,000 crore a decade ago to roughly Rs 24,000 crore now, and he expressed confidence exports will reach Rs 30,000 crore by March 2026. He also referred to recent policy steps including the Defence Procurement Manual 2025 and ongoing revisions to the Defence Acquisition Procedure 2020, and urged the private sector to raise its share in defence production from about 25 percent to at least 50 percent within three years.
Rajnath Singh emphasised that indigenisation must go beyond assembling final platforms and focus on manufacturing the many subsystems that make up those platforms. He warned that buying major equipment abroad creates long-term financial burdens through maintenance, repair, overhaul, and spare management, which perpetuate dependence. Increasing domestic production of components and subsystem inputs will boost indigenous content and reduce lifecycle costs, he said, calling for a national preference embodied in the phrase our soil, our shield.
He stressed that technology transfer must translate into genuine capability building and technology-based manufacturing in India rather than mere assembly. Innovation and R&D are essential for progress, he added, and challenged industry to develop large-scale, end-to-end technological products. Highlighting schemes that foster innovation, he pointed to iDEX and ADITI as platforms where young innovators are given problem statements; he urged industry to accept these challenges and bring solutions for government review and support.
Rajnath Singh said the government stands ready to collaborate with private industry to transform the defence ecosystem and close capability gaps. Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh, SIDM officials including President Rajinder Singh Bhatia and Director General Ramesh K, former SIDM President SP Shukla, senior Armed Forces and Ministry of Defence officials, industry leaders and young entrepreneurs attended the event.
