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New Delhi : Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered a keynote address at a ‘Webinar on Budget Announcements 2021-22: Galvanising Efforts for Atmanirbhar Bharat’ on effective implementation of the Union Budget provisions in the defence sector in New Delhi on February 22, 2021. The Prime Minister said the webinar assumes great significance as it is focusing on the important issue of making the country’s defence sector self-reliant.
PM Modi said since 2014 it has been the endeavor of the Government to move forward in the defence sector with transparency, predictability and ease of doing business. He said the Government has taken steps to bring about de-licensing, de-regulation, export promotion, foreign investment liberalisation, etc.
The Prime Minister said that his government has relied on the capabilities of our engineers and scientists on developing the Tejas fighter aircraft and today Tejas is flying gracefully in the skies. A few weeks back, an order worth Rs 48,000 crore was placed for Tejas, he added, according to a PIB release.
The Prime Minister added that India has made a list of 101 important items related to defence, which can be manufactured indigenously with the help of our local industries. He said a timeline has been set so that the domestic industry can plan to meet these requirements. He said it is called a negative list in the official language but it is a positive list in the language of self-reliance. This is the positive list on which the country’s manufacturing capacity is going to increase that will generate employment and will reduce India’s dependence on foreign countries for defence needs.
In his opening remarks, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh hailed Union Budget as a healthy mix of promise, potential and progress. He stressed that forward-looking agenda of the Budget will provide support to the defence and security of the country. Rajnath said, “The Budget focuses on accelerating economic growth and creating job opportunities to reverse the adverse impact of COVID-19 pandemic with ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ at the core.”
Rajnath stated that the vision of self-reliant India of the Government defined the approach towards the defence sector in this year’s Budget. The Defence Budget has seen an unprecedented increase of 18.75 per cent in capital outlay over and above last financial year (FY) and 30 per cent the year before, which is the highest in the last one and a half decade.
Rajnath termed threat perceptions, aspirations, capacity & capability development initiatives and technological advancements as major factors that drive procurement decisions in defence. He underlined the close cooperation between the Armed Forces and manufacturers to reduce the gap between the aspirations of the Armed Forces and actual delivery by the manufacturers.
The Defence Minister stated that ‘Make in India, Make for the World’ is the only mantra to stay abreast with latest technological advancements and remain frugal at the same time. Emphasising that the defence industry can only thrive by going global, he said, the Government is actively promoting not only domestic manufacturing but also an export-oriented defence industry.