"Proud moment for all of us": DRDO Chairman hails India's growing defence strength

Pune (Maharashtra) [India] August 9 (ANI): Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) Chairman and Secretary of Defence R&D Dr. Samir V Kamat expressed pride over the growing strength of India's defence research and development sector. Dr. Kamat was attending the convocation ceremony at the Defence Institute of Advanced Technology (Deemed to be University) in Pune on Saturday.
While speaking to ANI from the sidelines of the ceremony, Dr. Kamat said, "It's indeed a proud moment for all of us. It's a reflection of the strength of our R&D and production in the defence domain. I'm sure going ahead, this number will keep increasing. "
Dr Kamat credited the success of the Atmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India initiatives to the PM Modi-led government.
Dr. Kamat said, "The present government, when it came into power in 2014, started the Atmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India. It is because of this that what Raksha Mantri ji has tweeted has happened. Because today, the industry is very confident that if they are able to produce the systems within the country, the ministry will acquire the systems for our services."
Earlier, it was reported that the annual defence production has achieved a record high of Rs 1,50,590 crore for the Financial Year (FY) 2024-25. The milestone represents a robust 18% growth over the previous fiscal's output of Rs 1.27 lakh crore, and a staggering 90% increase since FY 2019-20, when the figure was Rs 79,071 crore, as stated in the release.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has lauded the collective efforts of the Department of Defence Production and all stakeholders, i.e., DPSUs, public sector manufacturers, and the private industry, in achieving this landmark. He termed the upward trajectory a clear indicator of India's strengthening defence industrial base.
Highlighting the achievement on X, Singh credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership for the remarkable growth, underscoring the nation's strides towards becoming a global defence manufacturing hub."Under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi, India's defence production has hit a record high! The annual defence production has soared to an all-time high figure of Rs 1,50,590 crore in the Financial Year (FY) 2024-25. These numbers indicate a robust 18% growth over the previous fiscal's output of Rs 1.27 lakh crore, and a staggering 90% increase since FY 2019-20, when the figure was Rs 79,071 crore," he posted on X.According to the release, Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs) and other PSUs accounted for approximately. 77% of total production, while the private sector contributed 23%. The share of the private sector, which increased from 21% in FY 2023-24 to 23% in FY 2024-25, reflects the sector's growing role in the defence ecosystem of the country.
Both public and private segments of the industry have demonstrated consistent year-on-year growth, attributed to far-reaching policy reforms, enhanced ease of doing business, and a strategic focus on indigenisation over the past decade. The overall production of DPSUs and the private sector has increased by 16% and 28% respectively in FY 2024-25.
This record-setting achievement underscores the growing momentum of the Government's push to self-reliance in defence manufacturing under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative spearheaded by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The emphasis on reducing the dependency on imports and creating a defence industrial complex that not only caters to India's needs but also strengthens the potential of exports has shown positive results.It may be recalled that the defence exports have surged to a record high of Rs 23,622 crore in FY 2024-25. It was a growth of Rs 2,539 crore or 12.04% over the defence exports figures of FY 2023-24, which were Rs 21,083 crore.
With sustained policy support, increased private participation, and expanding export capabilities, India's defence production sector is poised for continued acceleration in the years ahead. (ANI)