Over 2 lakh visitors pour in at MSME Defence Expo

Organisers said that late on Sunday evening as the crowd surged, additional police force had to be deployed for crowd management and smooth conduct of the Expo. The number of visitors on the first day on Saturday was around 70,000 which included around 20,000 students.

Ashish Karpe, an Electronic and Telecommunications Engineering student who visited the Expo said, “The Expo has been eyeopener for students because it has shown vast opportunities available in the Defence sector through which we can contribute —both through service in Armed forces, other defence organisations and of course the private sector too.”

Ganesh Ramesh Nibe, Founder of Nibe Limited, which was the Knowledge Partner for the event, said “We strongly advocate for the indispensable contribution of MSMEs in achieving the Atmanirbhar mission in India’s Defence industry. Facilitating avenues for knowledge exchange nurtures an environment where MSMEs can engage, collaborate, and innovate, laying the groundwork for their advancement. The inaugural Maharashtra MSME Defence Expo 2024 underscores the significance of self-reliance and indigenous creativity in fortifying India’s defence infrastructure. This groundbreaking event serves as a catalyst, propelling the cultivation of a highly skilled workforce capable of meeting the ever-evolving demands of the defence sector.”

Addressing the gathering at the inauguration of the MSME Defence Expo in Pune, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had on Saturday announced that Maharashtra will soon revise its Aerospace and Defence manufacturing policy, which was first formulated in 2017. State Industries Minister Uday Samant announced on the occasion that Maharashtra will soon have four Defence manufacturing clusters at Nagpur, Shirdi, Pune and Ratnagiri.