India's Pursuit of Self-Reliance in Defence Manufacturing: A Milestone Journey

India is advancing towards self-reliance in defence manufacturing, as highlighted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his Independence Day speech. Significant measures by the government have led to impressive growth in domestic defence production and exports. The defence minister aims to further boost military hardware exports to Rs 50,000 crore by 2028-29.

India is making significant strides towards 'Aatmanirbharta' (self-reliance) in defence, emerging as a global manufacturing hub for military equipment due to recent government measures, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on Thursday.

During his Independence Day speech at the Red Fort, Modi recalled a time when most of the defence budget went towards procuring military hardware from abroad but emphasized the current government's focus on indigenous defence production.

The prime minister praised the defence ministry and armed forces for implementing a series of decisions, including notifying positive indigenisation lists. This initiative has led to the domestic production of over 5,600 items and has significantly increased defence exports, which reached Rs 21,083 crore in the fiscal year 2023-24, a 32.5% increase from 2022-23.