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India Defence & Security Expo 2019 Make in India 2.0

Assocham organized the India Defence & Security Expo (IDSE) 2019: ‘Make in India 2.0’ during 27-28 September 2019 in the premise of IIT Delhi, in New Delhi to facilitate the participants, visitors and all the stakeholders with the awareness and availability of various latest defence and homeland security products, technology and solutions. The objective of IDSE is to showcase India’s capabilities, innovations and latest technologies in related sectors through the two day exhibition and conference.

 

tors through the two day exhibition and conference. Defence procurement is not just a simple act of buying equipment, it has many strategic and diplomatic considerations. In India, procurement of military equipment is overwhelmed with the numerous issues that neither benefit the armed forces nor the country. The major concerns that plague the defence procurement process in India are highly protracted procurement timelines and cancellation of tenders, underutilization of defence budget, non-existence of a level playing field, tenders awarded based on lowest cost, and so on.

Shripad Yesso Naik, Raksha Rajya Mantri, Ministry of Defence, who inaugurated the event, said that the current government is looking at a big picture – and that of ‘strategic independence.’ This can effectively be established only if we can reduce our import dependence. Indian defence industry corridors have engaged the attention of the industry, both globally and locally, and are able to create holistic capabilities in various identified disciplines for taking our nation to the strategic independence.

The Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) has released a draft version of proposed updates to its military acquisition process. The draft Defence Procurement Manual (DPM) was published on 13th September with a view to replace the existing DPM, which was issued a decade ago.

Defence systems acquisition, production, and formulation of doctrines of offensive and defensive warfare are all intertwined. These are also conducted within an overarching strategic defence and foreign policy environment. This is a continuous exercise, but there are certain defining moments whose impact is profound and it may be worthwhile to take note of some of them especially those which have a bearing on the country’s future.

The Minister further said that we as a nation have been subjected to such a regimen that we could not think of getting out of this low level contract manufacturing to make others rich through labour arbitrage. Our government under the dynamic and effective leadership of Narendra Bhai Modi has attempted to change this narrative under the Make-in-India initiative.


“I am more interested to see the development of our micro, small and medium industries, MSMEs. Please be informed – ‘if India lives in villages, industry lives in MSMEs.’ I want all departments in my Ministry to provide emphasis to this aspect of MSMEs. They are employment generators, innovators, focussed with niche expertise, flexible, adaptive and resilient. They have the power to shape the future of the national defence industry”

– Shripad Yesso Naik Raksha Rajya Mantri

Ministry of Defence, Government of India


Mr. Naik continued, “Our government is pursuing military modernisation with a great amount of persuasion. At the macro level, I must assure the industry that our government will leave no stone unturned to fulfil the aspirations of the 130 crores Indian and our Indian defence industry.

“I am more interested to see the development of our micro, small and medium industries, MSMEs. Please be informed that – ‘if India lives in villages, industry lives in MSMEs.’ I want all departments in my Ministry to provide emphasis to this aspect of MSMEs. They are employment generators, innovators, focussed with niche expertise, flexible, adaptive and resilient. They have the power to shape the future of the national defence industry.

“Firstly, for Make-in-India to succeed, it must be coupled with ‘buy in India.’ I would urge my policy makers to look at various models to ensure business flows down to the deserving Indian companies, mitigating any hurdles that may be on the way. Should this require a policy interventions, we must raise up to the occasion. While buy in India may be relatively easy at the platform levels by taking recourse to the strategic partnership models, I am more keen that this also percolates to the system and sub-system levels.”

While addressing the conference Deepak Sood, Secretary General ASSOCHAM said, “Defence manufacturing will be an integral part of the government’s vision for $5 trillion economy by 2022. ASSOCHAM is committed to making the Indian defence and security industry more robust by pursuing the Make-in-India roadmap.

Prominent speakers at the conference included Anand E. Stanley, President and Managing Director, Airbus India; Salil Gupte, President, Boeing India; K. S. Rao, CEO, Sterlite Technologies; Maj. Gen. A. K. Channan, SM, Additional Director General (Perspective Plan) Army Design Bureau, Indian Army; Air Marshal V. R. Chaudhari, AVSM, VM, Deputy Chief of the Air Staff; Maj. Gen. Bishamber Dayal, Chairman, IDSE Organizing Committee, and so on.



 

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