Government, private sector collaborate to make India ‘Surakshita, Swa-Rakshita’

Bengaluru: A major stakeholder workshop under the national initiative, ‘Atmanirbharta in Defence Manufacturing’, aimed at reducing import dependence and strengthening indigenous defence production, was held at Khanija Bhavan here recently.

The workshop brought together senior officials and representatives from the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Government of India, the Karnataka Government’s Electronics, IT/BT and Science and Technology Department, Commerce and Industries Department, Defence PSUs such as HAL, BDL, BEML and MIDHANI, as well as leading defence industry players, MSMEs, startups and ecosystem partners.

Inaugurating the workshop, Dr N. Manjula, Secretary, Electronics, IT/BT and Science and Technology, said the initiative seeks to make India self-reliant in defence manufacturing.

She noted that Karnataka, being a leader in the aerospace and defence sectors, had been entrusted with the responsibility of leading policy formulation under the national consultation process.

“We will assess the existing ecosystem, consolidate stakeholder inputs and prepare a comprehensive set of recommendations. Similar consultations will also be held across the country,” she said.

She added that the workshop was designed to engage stakeholders across six critical areas, including policy and governance, industrial infrastructure, testing and certification, MSME and startup participation, skill development, market access and defence exports, with the objective of identifying challenges and developing practical solutions to strengthen the defence manufacturing ecosystem.

The six thematic groups were led by Hind High Vacuum, AIA, dhaRti Foundation and IISc, New Space Research, IIT Dharawada and Merlinhawk.

Discussions focused on recommendations such as formulating a long-term Aerospace and Defence Policy aligned with Karnataka’s strengths, establishing a dedicated Aerospace and Defence Facilitation Cell with a single-window mechanism, developing defence manufacturing clusters and common facilities, creating a Karnataka Defence Testing and Certification Network, strengthening MSMEs and startups, establishing the Bengaluru-Mysuru-Belagavi Defence Manufacturing Corridor, developing plug-and-play industrial parks and launching specialised Centres of Excellence.

The workshop was attended by senior officials from the Department of Defence Production, Ministry of Defence, Commerce and Industries Department, Government of Karnataka, Karnataka Skill Development Corporation, MSME department and the private sector.