Doors of defence ministry are always open: Rajnath Singh to investors at DefExpo 2022

“Earlier, the doors of the defence ministry used to remain closed; defence ministers and officials in the ministry used to hesitate before a meeting. The concern was that someone might point an accusing finger. We are not worried about this. If the investors have a problem, the doors of my officials and mine are always open,” he said, promising “good return on investments” for the investors.

Compared to the past, Rajnath Singh said there was a change in the government’s point of view about socio-economic growth and defence capabilities. “Usually the strength of a country stands on two pillars. The first is the GDP or the strength of the economy and the second is its defence capability or its ability to keep itself secure. These two factors decide the development of knowledge, science, agriculture, trade, etc. It is common knowledge that a prosperous country can bear the cost of security for a longer time. Similarly, the more secure a country is, it can achieve better economic progress. So a country’s defence and economic strength supplement each other.”

“For a long time, there was a line of thought in the country that defence and development were opposite poles. It meant that if we concentrated on our social-economic development, then we would have to compromise on our defence capabilities; and if we increased our defence capabilities, then we had to compromise with socio-economic development. It is surprising that despite gaining Independence, we could not gain liberation from this point of view,” he said, adding a lot of time was lost in balancing economic growth and defence capabilities.

“In the last few years, a big change has come in this approach. Today we are taking both these strengths together and we are integrating,” the defence minister said.

Singh said that to increase domestic industry participation in the defence sector, the government has reserved a fixed amount of capital acquisition for defence for domestic procurement. “For the year 2022-23, this amount is 68 per cent or Rs 85,000 crore and 25 per cent of this amount has been further reserved for domestic private industry,” he added.

“We have been able to create such an environment for our investors, which will not only provide them good returns but will also create an image for them of domestic and global markets,” Singh said.

Rajnath Singh invites US companies

While addressing a seminar organised by the US-India Business Council (UIBC) and Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers (SIDM), Singh invited US companies to set up manufacturing units in India and develop technology collaborations with Indian industries to create a global supply chain free from vulnerabilities and uncertainties. “As India’s defence base grows, private sector companies from the US can explore the vast potential for creating in India and exporting from India,” Singh said.

“We are delighted to work with the US, our valued partner, to strengthen our commercial and strategic relationship and to attract US investment for creating a high-technology defence production ecosystem in India. For India, collaboration with US companies would be an important strategic force multiplier, apart from being wealth and job creator,” he added.

He asserted US companies can now set up manufacturing facilities, individually or in partnership with Indian companies, through a joint venture or technology agreement etc.

Rajnath Singh described the project agreement to co-develop air-launched unmanned aerial vehicles, under the auspices of the India-US Defence Technology and Trade Initiative, as a welcome development. He stated that industries from both sides can explore projects such as counter unmanned aerial systems and intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance platforms.

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