Strong will power, target of self-reliance behind defence exports crossing Rs 20k cr: Rajnath Singh

Union defence minister Rajnath Singh with Network18 Group Editor-in-Chief Rahul Joshi

Strong will power and the current government’s vision to become self-reliant in every sector were the factors behind India’s defence exports jumping above Rs 20,000 crore in FY24, said Union minister and senior BJP leader Rajnath Singh in an exclusive interview with Network18 Group Editor-in-Chief Rahul Joshi.

“If India has to achieve self-reliance in every matter, then India should achieve self-reliance in matters of defence also. This was his (Prime Minister Narendra Modi's) resolution and on the basis of this resolution, we took our steps forward and today our export target of more than Rs 20,000 crores has been reached,” Singh said during the interview.

He added further that the value of exports will increase in the next few months.

“Now defence equipment is also needed, whether it is tanks, cannons, shells, weapons, ammunitions, they should be made in India and by the hands of Indians. Even engines, engines of fighter planes, we have made an agreement for that too,” the minister said.

On asked if the pace of the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) will increase considering the fact that the Chinese Navy has a bigger fleet of submarines and warships compared to India, the minister said, “It will happen fast. It is already happening fast. In the next term, people will start seeing its results.”

On April 1, Singh had announced that the country’s defence exports crossed Rs 21,000 crore in FY24 for the first ever. According to reports, the exports have jumped 31 times since FY14.

This despite the fact that the country was the world’s largest arms importer between 2019 and 2023, according to Swedish think tank Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). The imports also went up 4.7 percent between 2014 and 2018.

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