New Delhi, February 26, 2022.
Ministry of Defence organised a post budget webinar titled ‘Aatmanirbharta in Defence – Call to Action’ on the announcements made in Union budget 2022-23, on February 25, 2022. The Union Budget 2022-23 related to Ministry of Defence has given further impetus to Aatmanirbharta in Defence and the objective of the webinar was to involve all the stakeholders in taking forward the various initiatives of the Government in the defence sector.
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi delivered the inaugural address of the webinar. He said, the theme of the webinar ‘Aatmanirbharta in Defence – Call to Action’ indicates the mood of the nation. The recent years’ effort to strengthen Aatmanirbharta in the defence sector is clearly visible in this year’s Budget. He recalled that India’s defence manufacturing was quite strong even during the period of slavery and in the immediate aftermath of independence. Indian made weapons played a major role during the Second World War. “Though, in the later years, this prowess of ours went into decline, still it shows that there has been no dearth of capabilities, neither then nor now”, he said.
The Prime Minister stressed the importance of customisation and uniqueness of the defence systems for having a surprise element over the adversaries. “Uniqueness and surprise elements can only happen when the equipment is developed in your own country”, he said. This year’s budget, the Prime Minister mentioned, has a blueprint for developing a vibrant ecosystem from research, design and development to manufacturing within the country. About 70 percent of the defence budget has been kept for domestic industry only, he added.