Bharat as ‘Raksha Prajapati’: Centre holds talks with Karnataka to boost domestic defence manufacturing ecosystem

Bengaluru: In order to strengthen its defence ecosystem — in a world order that is becoming increasingly unpredictable — the Department of Defence Production (DDP), Ministry of Defence, is now actively engaging with the States to promote initiatives that boost domestic defence manufacturing.

This comes in the backdrop of perceived international friends sudden turning cold, thereby forcing India to become self-reliant to protect its land contours and peoples.

In this backdrop, Rolley M. Varma, Deputy Director-General, Ministry of Defence, recently interacted with officials of the Karnataka government to explore ways to strengthen the domestic defence ecosystem to make India strong and self-sufficient.

During the meeting, Varma underlined the importance of strong partnerships between the Centre and states in building a robust India.

She highlighted the Central government’s initiatives such as ‘Make in India’ — which aims to create a strong demand for domestic industries through increased budgetary allocation for defence.

She sought increase in industrial participation in the defence sector through various schemes promoted by the Centre.

Karnataka’s pivotal role in advancing the sector was spotlighted, with discussions centering on the State’s initiatives to promote design, R&D and innovation in defence manufacturing.

A Defence and Aerospace Park at Devanahalli was also envisioned to serve as a hub for advanced manufacturing, while other issues such as state-level policy reforms to ease doing business and attract investments were spoken about.  

Dr. S. Selvakumar, Principal Secretary, Commerce and Industries, and Gunjan Krishna, Commissioner for Industrial Development, emphasized that Karnataka had always been at the forefront of defence and aerospace production, housing a large cluster of public and private sector enterprises which are now reputed globally.

They affirmed Karnataka’s cooperation in this regard and said that the state was wholly committed to working closely with the Ministry of Defence to ensure India’s self-reliance in the sector.