'Self-reliance in defence crucial for India': PM Modi bats for 'Atmanirbharata' in defence  

NEW DELHI: The country is working to strengthen a new defence ecosystem, which is bringing down imports and giving a boost to exports, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday.

“We developed the habit of being dependent on foreign countries for even the simplest products. Like drug addicts, we were addicted to the products imported from abroad. To change this mindset, we worked on a mission mode after 2014, after learning from the approach of the past, to create a new ecosystem of defence with the help of ‘Sabka Prayas’,” the PM said.

“A large part of the budget earmarked for the purchase of defence equipment is being spent on procurement from Indian companies. In the last four-five years, our defence imports have come down by about 21 per cent. We are moving fast from being a major defence importer to becoming a big exporter,” he added while speaking at the Naval Innovation and Indigenisation Organisation Seminar ‘Swavlamban’ here.

So far the government has brought out a list of 310 military systems and equipment, which, in phases, will be taken out of import list. Defence minister Rajnath Singh said, “We’ve achieved self-reliance in many areas and due to which, a new image of India has emerged in the world. Under Atmanirbhar Abhiyaan, the Navy spent over 64% of its capital budget for domestic procurement in the last financial year and it’ll increase up to 70% this year.”

India has been working to decrease its reliance on imported weapons. Calling “self-reliance” in defence as crucial for India of the 21st century, the PM said, “Creating 75 indigenous techs for the Navy by August 15 next year is the first step. The goal should be to take India’s defence to unprecedented heights by the time we celebrate 100 years of Independence.”