India's defence production surged fourfold since 2014: Rajnath Singh

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said the country is moving towards self-reliance in the defence sector as defence production has nearly quadrupled to around 1.8 lakh crore rupees and exports have surged to nearly Rs 39,000 crore over the last decade. The Defence Minister made the remarks after laying the foundation stone of a Rs 472-crore facility for the overhaul of T-series battle tanks at the 57-year-old Vehicle Factory Jabalpur (VFJ), in Madhya Pradesh. Singh said, the government has set a target of achieving defence exports worth 50 thousand crore rupees by 2028-29 fiscal. He said India was not only manufacturing weapons domestically but was also developing the capability to maintain, overhaul and upgrade them.  He described the tank overhaul project as a major milestone for India’s self-reliant industrial ecosystem. He added, the project would also open up employment opportunities for local people. Expressing confidence that the facility would be completed on schedule and to high-quality standards, Singh said the upcoming project would overhaul 80 T-72 and T-90 tanks annually. He said, the Indian Army requires the overhaul of around 230 such tanks every year. He added that the Heavy Vehicles Factory (HVF) at Avadi currently overhauls around 150 tanks annually, and the new facility at VFJ will bridge the remaining shortfall, the defence minister said. 

हमारा लक्ष्य भारत को Global Defence Manufacturing & Export Hub बनाना है। विदेशी सप्लाई चेन पर निर्भरता घटाकर, देश में हथियारों के निर्माण से लेकर Overhaul और Upgradation तक आत्मनिर्भरता बढ़ाना हमारी प्राथमिकता है। जबलपुर की नई Overhaul Facility इस दिशा में भारत की Defence… pic.twitter.com/RsvJ7rRqBv

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Speaking on the occasion, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav appreciated the investment being made in Jabalpur, stating that it would strengthen the defence ecosystem and encourage greater participation of MSMEs in the state. He credited the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for India’s growing stature on the global stage and said the nation was prepared to meet all kinds of challenges. Secretary (Defence Production) Shri Sanjeev Kumar, CMD, AVNL Shri Satyabrata Mukherjee, and other senior officials from the Department of Defence Production, AVNL and the armed forces were also present on the occasion.

VFJ, Established in 1969, initially produced Shaktiman 3-tonne vehicles in collaboration with Germany’s MAN, as well as Nissan 1T and Jonga vehicles in collaboration with Japan’s Nissan Motors Co. The factory complex is spread over 330 acres, while its adjoining estate covers another 600 acres, officials said.