At THE WEEK Defence Conclave 2025 held in New Delhi, Sanjeev Kumar, who is the Secretary of Defence Production in the Ministry of Defence, spoke about how India is becoming stronger in defence production. He said that the country is making good progress under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative, which is focused on making India self-reliant. The government wants to reduce the need to buy weapons and equipment from other countries and instead build everything within India.
Sanjeev Kumar gave his speech during a session titled “India’s Defence Export Potential.” He explained how India is slowly becoming a country that not only makes defence equipment for itself but also exports it to other countries.
He said, “We are in the phase of making India with some export, but some export is growing very well as numbers suggest it’s a very healthy growth and this growth is getting widened it is also number of exporters are increasing this year”
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According to The Week, he shared that a decade ago, India’s defence exports were only around Rs 2,000 crore, but in 2023-24, they grew to Rs 24,000 crore. He said this shows how strong the export market is becoming.
Sanjeev Kumar also said that even though India is doing well in exports, the focus should still be on making quality weapons and equipment for the Indian armed forces.
“We can say that we are making for the world, but let’s reserve that for now. Let’s concentrate on Make in India for our armed forces first and also continue to have some part in the export market which is growing. It was made possible by first believing in our industry here within the country,” he added.
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He also talked about how private companies and startups are helping the defence industry grow. He said that the number of startups working in this sector has gone up a lot.
“The entry of private players, including startups and MSMEs, has energised the sector, with over 600 startups now contributing to defence innovation,” Kumar said. These new companies are bringing fresh ideas and helping to build modern technology for the military.
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He also said that quality, good pricing, and following international standards are very important if India wants to become a trusted defence exporter in the world. He mentioned the iDEX program, which is helping young inventors and small companies come up with new ideas for defence. This program gives them a chance to be part of India’s defence system.
Sanjeev Kumar also said that government defence companies and private firms are becoming a bigger part of the world’s defence supply chain. He believes that giving long-term orders will help startups plan better and stay active in the industry. He wants an open and friendly system where even small companies can bring in new technology and help India prepare for modern types of warfare.
The event was opened by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. Many speakers at the conclave talked about how important it is for India to be self-reliant and to use new technology. They also discussed how India can become one of the top defence exporters in the world.
