Team Herald
PANJIM: Amidst calls for Make-in India, the 9th edition of the Defexpo India, a biennial exhibition on Land, Naval and Internal Homeland Security Systems was inaugurated today by the Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar at Naqueri Quitol, Quepem Taluka, South Goa, Goa. The four-day event is being organised by the Defence Exhibition Organisation of the Department of Defence Production, Ministry of Defence.
Speaking at the inauguration, Parrikar announced that the Defence Procurement Procedure-2016 (DPP-2016) has been uploaded on the website of the Ministry of Defence, commenting that it will provide a push to the ‘Make in India’ campaign. He said the Government has been proactive in its ‘Make in India’ initiative and desires to also include ‘Startup India’ which will find opportunities in the Defence sector.
The Defence Minister stated that the Government has tweaked policies to address the concerns of defence manufacturers and suppliers and enhanced transparency.
The new procurement policy being promulgated by DPP-2016 will ensure faster pace in procurement especially through newly introduced categories under Indigenously Designed, Developed and Manufactured (IDDM) provisions.
“Such provisions will encourage the Indian Industry in the Defence Sector,” he added.
He acknowledged the contributions of the Small and Medium Scale Industries in the Defence Sector, quoting that many innovative ideas have come from these sectors.
He further added that, while Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Defence Sector is capped at 49%, cases for higher FDI can be considered on case to case basis. He commended the organisers and the delegates present for the overwhelming response to Defexpo 2016 with record participation of companies in the event.
The Minister of State for Defence, Rao Inderjit Singh, who also spoke on the occasion, said that over the last 70 years India has created a robust industrial base and the aim of the government is to transform India from being a net importer to a net exporter of defence equipment through its ‘Make in India’ campaign.
The inaugural ceremony saw live demonstrations of military equipment including Main Battle Tank Arjun Mk I and II, various types of heavy bridging equipment, Wheeled Armoured Vehicle, Sarang Aerobatic team and Naval LCA. MBT Arjun Mk II and Wheeled Armoured Vehicle were being displayed for the first time in any exhibition.
The function was also attended by the Union Minister for Railways Shri Suresh Prabhu, Union Minister of State for AYUSH Shri Shripad Naik, MP from South Goa Shri Narendra Keshav Sawaikar, Chief of the Army Staff General Dalbir Singh, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral RK Dhowan, Defence Secretary Shri G Mohan Kumar, Secretary (Defence Production) Shri AK Gupta and Senior Officials from the three Services and Ministry of Defence, Government of Goa as well as from the participating countries.
