Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday announced the "fourth positive indigenisation list" of 101 items at the inaugural ceremony of the DefExpo 2022 in Gandhinagar.
All the items included in the lists will be procured from indigenous sources as per provisions given in Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) 2020.
Till 8 years ago, India was recognised as the world's largest defence importer, PM Modi says, adding that 'Make in India' is becoming a success story in the defence sector today. "Our defence exports have grown eight times in the last five years. We are exporting defence materials and equipment to more than 75 countries of the world. In 2021-22, Defence exports from India reached $1.59 billion i.e., about ₹13,000 crore. And in the coming time, we have set a target to reach $5 billion i.e., ₹40,000 crore," the prime minister adds.
Underlining the uniqueness of the latest edition of DefExpo, PM Modi says, "this is the first defence expo where only Indian companies are participating and it features only Made in India equipment."
The expo has more than 1,300 exhibitors which include the Indian defence industry, some joint ventures associated with it, MSMEs and more than 100 start-ups.
One of the key constituents of the government's 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan' is to transform the defence sector to achieve self-reliance and boost the export of Defence items with active participation of public and private sector, the Ministry of Defence says in a statement.
The ministry has taken numerous steps to achieve self-reliance in defence. The MoD had earlier promulgated 'First, Second and Third Positive Indigenisation Lists', comprising 310 items on August 21, 2020, May 31, 2021 and April 07, 2022 respectively.
These lists are expected to boost indigenisation and achieve 'Aatmanirbharta' in the defence sector and increase exports in the coming times.
The fourth list, which has been prepared by the defence ministry after several rounds of consultations with all stakeholders, lays special focus on equipment, systems, which are being developed and likely to translate into firm orders in the next five to ten years.
Like the first three lists, import substitution of ammunition which is a recurring requirement has been given special focus, the MoD says.
This fourth list recognises the growing capacity and capabilities of the Indian defence industry and is likely to stimulate the potential of domestic research and development by attracting fresh investment into technology and manufacturing capabilities, it adds.
The items listed in the fourth list will provide ample visibility and opportunity to the domestic defence industry for understanding the trend and futuristic needs of the Armed Forces and create requisite R&D and manufacturing capacity within the country.
The ministry further says it will facilitate a conducive environment and render all possible support to the industry to ensure that the timelines mentioned in the ‘Fourth Positive Indigenisation List’ are met, thereby developing the capabilities for exports within the country in a time-bound manner.
