NE NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, OCT 7
Against the backdrop of the tense border standoff between Indian and Chinese troops in eastern Ladakh, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday said India is a peace-loving country and believes that indigenous defence capabilities are the foundations to “enduring peace”.
Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh chairs Ambassadors’ Round-table Virtual Conference on Aero India 2021; https://t.co/DQl3hh9X37 https://t.co/Xc2hZdH2R7 pic.twitter.com/HVTsi56Qni
— A. Bharat Bhushan Babu (@SpokespersonMoD) October 7, 2020
In a virtual address to a group of foreign envoys on the upcoming Aero India exhibition, he also highlighted various reform measures initiated by the government to make India a hub of production of key military platforms and weapons systems.
“We are a peace-loving country. We remain committed to peace and stability across the world. We also remain committed to the belief that self-reliance and indigenous defence capabilities are the foundations for enduring peace,” he said without elaborating.
Watch the message of the Chief Of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria on the eve of the 88th Air Force Day at 8:55 PM on DD National today.#HarKaamDeshKeNaam #88airforceday@IAF_MCC @SpokespersonMoD pic.twitter.com/KvqCKxHUkz
— PRO Defence Palam (@DefencePROPalam) October 7, 2020
Officials said ambassadors, heads of missions and defence attaches of over 75 countries attended the online conclave.
Showcasing India as an attractive destination for investment in the defence manufacturing sector, Singh said: “We need to remove impediments coming in the way of our natural alliance in a purposeful and progressive manner and join hands to make this world a more secure, peaceful and prosperous place.”
देशभक्ति, वीरता, त्याग, सामर्थ्य एवम् साहस के प्रतीक – भारतीय वायुसेना के जाँबाज़ वायु योद्धा।
भारतीय वायु सेना गान ।#AFDay2020 pic.twitter.com/7eURlNWmoq
— Indian Air Force (@IAF_MCC) October 7, 2020
He also talked about India’s inherent strength in defence manufacturing and said the country is determined to become one of the top five countries globally in the defence and aerospace sector.
“We are one of the few countries in the world which produce a fourth-generation fighter aircraft, nuclear submarine, main battle tank and inter-continental ballistic missiles,” the defence minister said.
Urging the envoys to encourage defence manufacturers and policymakers from their respective countries to participate in Aero India, he said the event will be a key forum for the aerospace industry to explore business opportunities.
The next edition of Aero India considered Asia’s largest aerospace exhibition, is scheduled to be held in its traditional venue of Bengaluru from February 3-7 next year and its theme will “runway to a billion opportunities”.
Officials said more than 90 percent of space in the exhibition has been booked reflecting the “tremendous interest” shown by exhibitors to participate in the aero show.
In his remarks, Singh said that ”Aero India-21” will showcase India”s intent to achieve a turnover of USD 25 billion with exports of USD 5 billion in aerospace and defence goods and services by 2025.
“Now, we want to make India one of the top five countries of the world in defence and aerospace industries, from design to production, with the active participation of public and private sector fulfilling the objective of self-reliance as well as demand of other friendly countries,” he said.
Singh said the event will be organised strictly adhering to all the requisite COVID-19 protocols and that emphasis will be laid on contactless experience to all exhibitors and visitors.
“India has one of the world”s largest technically qualified manpower and we do claim to be a force to reckon with in the field of information technology. With this infrastructure and human resource, India can prove to be an excellent base for the defence and aerospace industry,” he said.
The government has unveiled a number of policy initiatives in the last few months with an aim to boost domestic defence production.
On August 9, the defence minister announced that India will stop the import of 101 weapons and military platforms like transport aircraft, light combat helicopters, conventional submarines, cruise missiles and sonar systems by 2024
In a related development, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) identified 108 military systems and subsystems like navigation radars, tank transporters and missile canisters for the domestic industry to design, develop and manufacture.
