Nirmala Sitharaman pushes for 'Make in India' in defence sector

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday interacted with industry representatives from Indian as well as foreign companies in defence sector at a round table on "Energising Make in India".

Sitharaman ordered officers to take time-bound action on key issues raised at the round table, including commercialization of technologies developed by the DRDO and timely conclusion of procurement proposals.

She also ordered them to take action for the resolution of licensing issue with the Home Ministry and tax-related matters with the Finance Ministry, a statement from the Defence Ministry said.

In the round table, a wide range of issues relating to private participation in defence manufacturing were discussed including matters relating to speeding up of procurement processes, creation of a tiered defence industrial ecosystem and skilling of manpower in the MSME sector, it said.

The present government is fully committed to removing all the stumbling blocks and facilitating private participation in defence manufacturing with the objective of bringing high value foreign investment into the defence sector, building indigenous capabilities and ensuring self-reliance in meeting the country's defence needs, it added.