{"id":42044,"date":"2025-10-06T13:15:18","date_gmt":"2025-10-06T07:45:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dailynewsindia.co.in\/index.php\/2025\/10\/06\/powerful-wins-driving-defence-manufacturing-in-india-oct-2025\/"},"modified":"2025-10-06T13:15:18","modified_gmt":"2025-10-06T07:45:18","slug":"powerful-wins-driving-defence-manufacturing-in-india-oct-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailynewsindia.co.in\/index.php\/2025\/10\/06\/powerful-wins-driving-defence-manufacturing-in-india-oct-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"Powerful Wins Driving Defence Manufacturing in India \u2013 Oct 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span data-sheets-root=\"1\"><strong>New Delhi [India], October 6:<\/strong> <\/span>India isn\u2019t just building weapons anymore; it\u2019s building the ecosystem to own them. On October 7, Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh will flip the switch on a national movement to make \u201cMade in India\u201d mean business in the global defence arena. \u2013 Defence Manufacturing in India.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Defence Manufacturing in India: Aligning Industry with Mission Self-Reliance<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, the mood will be less \u201cceremonial launch\u201d and more \u201cboardroom strategy session.\u201d The <\/span><b>National Conference on \u2018Opportunities in Defence Manufacturing in the Country\u2019<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, organised by the Ministry of Defence\u2019s Department of Defence Production, is more than another bureaucratic gathering. It\u2019s a high-stakes convergence of policy, tech, and industry muscle.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The goal? <\/span><b>Tight coordination between the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and State\/UT governments<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is a necessary chess move if India is serious about building a homegrown military-industrial complex.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For years, states have chased industrial growth in silos. Now, they\u2019re being pulled into one integrated orbit: defence self-reliance. The conference will hammer out how <\/span><b>regional industrial policies and infrastructure<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> can plug directly into the national defence production grid.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Think of it as India aligning its industrial \u201cmicrochips\u201d into one national motherboard.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Digital Arsenal: Portals That Mean Business<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Shri Rajnath Singh will launch two major digital weapons in India\u2019s defence production arsenal:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>The Defence Exim Portal:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> This one\u2019s about speed and sanity. Export and import authorisations in defence manufacturing have traditionally been a bureaucratic labyrinth. The new portal is designed to <\/span><b>streamline the process<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, making it faster, cleaner, and far less prone to the infamous red tape that has long throttled private sector enthusiasm.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Srijan DEEP (Defence Establishments and Entrepreneurs Platform):<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Don\u2019t let the acronym fool you, this platform could be the LinkedIn of India\u2019s defence ecosystem. It\u2019s a <\/span><b>digital repository mapping capabilities and products of Indian defence industries<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, basically, a radar for innovation and manufacturing capacity.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Together, these portals are not vanity projects. They\u2019re infrastructure, digital highways for policy to meet practice.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Policy Arsenal: Publications with Purpose<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In addition to the portals, two publications will be unveiled. The first, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Aerospace &amp; Defence Sector Policy Compendium of States and Union Territories<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, is a comprehensive snapshot of where each state stands in defence readiness, industrial clusters, incentives, and growth plans. It\u2019s the scoreboard every investor and policymaker should be watching.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The second, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">iDEX Coffee Table Book: Shared Horizons of Innovation<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, celebrates the innovations under the <\/span><b>iDEX (Innovations for Defence Excellence)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> program. It\u2019s less a coffee table ornament and more a tribute to the start-ups, SMEs, and individual innovators driving India\u2019s new-age defence R&amp;D.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>States as Strategic Partners<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For decades, defence manufacturing sat squarely in the hands of public sector giants like HAL, BEL, and DRDO. States were spectators. That\u2019s changing.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By roping in state and UT industry departments, the Centre is <\/span><b>turning local ecosystems into strategic nodes<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in the national supply chain. Tamil Nadu is building an aerospace cluster. Maharashtra has shipbuilding potential. Uttar Pradesh is investing in a Defence Corridor. The conference isn\u2019t about symbolism, it\u2019s about execution.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s a recognition that <\/span><b>defence self-reliance won\u2019t be achieved in Delhi boardrooms, it\u2019ll be built in factories from Coimbatore to Lucknow.<\/b><\/p>\n<h3><b>India\u2019s Moment to Lead<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Globally, defence is big business, $2.4 trillion spent in 2024 alone, according to SIPRI. India, now the world\u2019s <\/span><b>fourth-largest military spender<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, is still one of its top importers. That contradiction is what this push aims to end.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The country\u2019s <\/span><b>defence export numbers hit \u20b921,083 crore in FY 2023\u201324<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, a record high. That\u2019s a 32x jump since 2014. But compared to global giants like the US and France, India\u2019s share remains a blip.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Defence Exim Portal is part of the solution; <\/span><b>cutting paperwork means cutting delays<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which means exporters can actually compete on delivery timelines.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When Shri Rajnath Singh says \u201cAtmanirbharta in defence,\u201d he isn\u2019t just selling patriotism; he\u2019s selling a business case. A future where Indian components power jets, tanks, and ships globally, not just within Indian borders.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>From Make in India to Make for the World<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This conference is also a statement: the shift from \u201cMake in India\u201d to \u201cMake for the World.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The government\u2019s <\/span><b>Defence Production and Export Promotion Policy (DPEPP) 2020<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> laid the foundation. Now, this conference is on the next floor of that building.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India isn\u2019t chasing manufacturing for manufacturing\u2019s sake; it\u2019s positioning itself as a <\/span><b>global design-to-delivery hub<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. With over 350 private companies now part of the defence supply chain and start-ups innovating across UAVs, cyberwarfare, and space-tech, the timing couldn\u2019t be sharper.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>India\u2019s Defence Startups: Quietly Disruptive<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The iDEX initiative has already incubated more than <\/span><b>400 start-ups<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, funding innovations that range from AI-enabled targeting to indigenous drone swarms.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Start-ups like NewSpace Research, Tonbo Imaging, and ideaForge are no longer fringe players; they\u2019re building the future of asymmetric warfare tech.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This conference gives them visibility. More importantly, it aligns state policies to support such ventures with <\/span><b>infrastructure, incentives, and fast-track procurement pathways.<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Because, let\u2019s face it: innovation needs oxygen, not files that move at glacial speed.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Srijan DEEP: The Network Effect<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The launch of Srijan DEEP could quietly be the most consequential part of this event.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Why? Because defence manufacturing is an ecosystem sport. A small gear manufacturer in Coimbatore might not know that a drone start-up in Bengaluru needs exactly what they make.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Srijan DEEP bridges that gap. It <\/span><b>maps every product, component, and capability<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, letting suppliers and buyers find each other faster.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s not flashy, but neither is a jet engine\u2019s turbine blade. It\u2019s what keeps the machine running.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>The States\u2019 Turn in the Spotlight<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Each state is expected to showcase its policies, potential, and existing capacities at the conference.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Expect the big players, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, and Karnataka, to highlight their existing aerospace parks. But the real story might come from <\/span><b>emerging players like Odisha and Rajasthan<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, who are aggressively courting MSMEs into defence manufacturing.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When you see bureaucrats using phrases like \u201csynergising industrial policies,\u201d it usually sounds like jargon. But this time, there\u2019s a clear subtext: <\/span><b>\u201cWe\u2019re done watching other countries make our weapons.\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n<h3><b>Challenges? Of Course. But Look at the Direction.<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">No transformation is clean. There are still issues, procurement delays, testing bottlenecks, limited venture funding, and state-level coordination hiccups.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But here\u2019s the thing: India\u2019s defence sector is finally talking like an industry, not an institution.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And this conference, bringing everyone from defence secretaries to state industrial commissioners under one roof, is a signal that the conversation has matured.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>The Shri Rajnath Singh Factor<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-56782 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/dailynewsindia.co.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Defence-Manufacturing-in-India-Raksha-Mantri-Rajnath-Singh.jpg\" alt=\"Defence Manufacturing in India - Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh - PNN\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Shri Rajnath Singh\u2019s stewardship of defence modernisation has been quietly consistent. From <\/span><b>boosting defence exports<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to clearing record numbers of<\/span> <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.investindia.gov.in\/team-india-blogs\/indias-defense-tech-boom-six-opportunities-expanding-strategic-sector\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">indigenisation projects<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, he\u2019s been a more pragmatic CEO than politician.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This conference fits that pattern: practical, structured, and results-oriented. No fluff, just focus.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He\u2019s not announcing schemes to grab headlines. He\u2019s launching systems to outlast them.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>The Takeaway<\/b><\/h3>\n<blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By the end of this conference, India\u2019s defence manufacturing landscape will have a clearer roadmap and a few more tools to execute it.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">More importantly, the event signals a shift in mindset. The Indian defence ecosystem is no longer asking \u201cif\u201d we can build at scale. It\u2019s asking \u201chow fast.\u201d And that\u2019s the kind of question great nations ask when they stop buying power and start building it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/pnndigital.com\/category\/news\/\">PNN News<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>New Delhi [India], October 6: India isn\u2019t just building weapons anymore; it\u2019s building the ecosystem to own them. On October 7, Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh will flip the switch on a national movement to make \u201cMade in India\u201d mean business in the global defence arena. \u2013 Defence Manufacturing in India. Defence Manufacturing in India: Aligning&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"more-link-wrap\"><a href=\"https:\/\/dailynewsindia.co.in\/index.php\/2025\/10\/06\/powerful-wins-driving-defence-manufacturing-in-india-oct-2025\/\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &ldquo;Powerful Wins Driving Defence Manufacturing in India \u2013 Oct 2025&rdquo;<\/span> &raquo;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":42045,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[635],"class_list":["post-42044","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-national","tag-national"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailynewsindia.co.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42044","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailynewsindia.co.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailynewsindia.co.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailynewsindia.co.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailynewsindia.co.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42044"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailynewsindia.co.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42044\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailynewsindia.co.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/42045"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailynewsindia.co.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42044"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailynewsindia.co.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42044"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailynewsindia.co.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42044"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}