Rajnath reviews preparations of DefExpo-2022 in Gandhinagar

In the meeting — where Defence Secretary Dr Ajay Kumar, Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral R Hari Kumar, Vice Chief of the Army Staff Lt Gen Manoj Pande, Financial Advisor (Defence Services) Shri Sanjiv Mittal and other senior civil & military officials of MoD were present —Singh expressed satisfaction regarding the arrangements made by Ministry of Defence in collaboration with the Government of Gujarat and exuded confidence of a safe and successful DefExpo-2022, stated an official release.

A DefExpo-2022 mobile application was also launched by Singh during the review meeting. The application provides information on the exhibitors, schedule, speakers, venue maps, driving directions, publications as well as notifications to visitors and exhibitors.

So far, 930 exhibitors have registered for the mega event that has been extended by a day till March 14.

Singh that said relaxation in Covid-19 protocols has generated greater interest in DEFEXPO 2022. Foreign Defence Ministers confirmations are also being received and are comparable with the previous edition of the event which was held in February 2020 in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh during the pre-Covid times, the statement added.

The DefExpo-2022 will be held as a hybrid exhibition, with stalls in both physical and virtual realms. This will ensure greater engagement as the exhibitors will be able to cater to both physical and virtual attendees. The defence minister was briefed that virtual attendees could participate in seminars, interact with the exhibitors and representatives; hold Business-to-Business (B2B) meetings and view product details and supporting videos.

The mega exhibition is being planned in a three-venue format – exhibition at the Helipad Exhibition Center (HEC); Events and Seminars at the Mahatma Mandir Convention and Exhibition Center (MMCEC) and live demonstration for the public at Sabarmati Riverfront.