India Global Defence Industry: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh shared an inspiring vision for the future of India’s defence sector during a Defence Conclave in New Delhi on April 17, 2025. He outlined how India is progressing toward self-reliance, innovation, and becoming a major player in the global defence ecosystem.
“The day is not far when India will not only emerge as a developed country, but our Military Power will also emerge as the number one in the world,” he declared. Singh emphasized that India is not just securing its borders, but is positioning itself as an important force in the global defence market.
Sharing his vision of a self-reliant and future-ready country at a programme, Rajnath Singh said: “With a clear focus on indigenisation, innovation, and global leadership, he declared that India is not only securing its borders but also positioning itself as a key player in the international defence ecosystem.”
“The day is not far when India will not only emerge as a developed country, but our military power will also emerge as the number one in the world,” he added.
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Focus on Reducing Dependency on Imports
Rajnath Singh praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, highlighting the government’s commitment to strengthening the defence sector. He noted that the first priority for the government was to change the mindset that India should rely on imports for defence needs.
“India will reduce its dependency on imports and create a defence industrial complex that will not only meet India’s needs but will also strengthen the potential of defence exports,” he explained.
Singh also pointed out that the Make in India programme is strengthening India’s domestic defence production, which in turn makes global supply chains more resilient and flexible.
While discussing India’s growing military power, Rajnath Singh emphasized that it is not intended to provoke conflict.
“Our defence capabilities are like a credible deterrence, to maintain peace and tranquillity. Peace is possible only when we remain strong,” he said. He stressed that modern warfare is becoming more violent and unpredictable, with new battlefields emerging in cyberspace and outer space.
Singh mentioned the importance of building capacity across all sectors and continuing reforms to address these evolving challenges. He revealed that the Ministry of Defence has declared 2025 as the ‘Year of Reforms’ to further strengthen India’s defence capabilities.
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Rajnath Singh spoke about several key reforms, including the corporatisation of the Ordnance Factories, which had been around for more than 200 years. He proudly stated, “Today Ordnance Factories are performing very well in their new form and have become profit-making units. I believe that changing a structure that is more than two hundred years old is a very big reform of this century.”
He also highlighted the government’s indigenisation drive, which includes five positive indigenisation lists by the Armed Forces and five by Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs). These lists include 509 items from the Services and over 5,000 items from DPSUs that will now be produced in India.
Growth in Defence Production and Exports
According to Ministry of Defence, Rajnath Singh shared that India’s defence production has grown from ₹40,000 crore in 2014 to over ₹1.27 lakh crore, with a target of ₹3 lakh crore by 2029. Defence exports have surged from ₹686 crore in 2013–14 to ₹23,622 crore in 2024–25, aiming for ₹50,000 crore by 2029. He emphasized the government’s push for innovation, especially among startups, through initiatives like iDEX and ADITI, offering financial support up to ₹25 crore for groundbreaking projects.
Singh highlighted India’s progress in missile tech, submarines, aircraft carriers, AI, drones, cyber defence, and hypersonic systems. Over 97% of the Indian Navy and Coast Guard’s warships are built locally, with exports to countries like Mauritius, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, and the Maldives. India is now on par with developed nations in key defence technologies.
