The Union Minister of Defence, Rajnath Singh attended an exclusive programme on ‘Indian Defence’ at the 22nd edition of India International Security Expo 2019 at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi on 4th October. To mark the occasion, he also released exclusive knowledge papers on “Shifting Gears from Import to Export– Defence Capability Developments”. After attending the programme, the Minister took round of the Expo and evinced his keen interest in a wide range of displays comprising of the latest security and surveillance systems which are indispensable for a credible and rapid response to security challenges and threats in the internal and external domains during peace and war.
Inviting the private sector for active participation in the defence industry, Mr. Singh said he will not be afraid of taking decisions for fear of attracting complaints of corruption. “A minister who is afraid of corruption charges, should refrain (from taking decisions), Rajnath Singh is not worried about all this. People and big industry organisations in this country know who is what (‘kaun kya hai’). I am not worried at all. Come. My doors are open. Whatever help I can give, the defence ministry will give. This is an assurance I would like to give you,” he said.
He further remarked that the Centre is committed in exploiting the entrepreneurship spirit of private defence sector and ready to interact and resolve their problems in the plans to take the Indian defence industry to the size of USD 26 billion by 2025. There is no other effective interface between industry and the government than such events and expos, the minister noted. Stating that his doors are always open, he urged the private companies to come forward as he would like to give all help wherever possible.
Speaking to Exhibition Showcase, Mr. Rajeev Talwar, President, PHDCCI said, “the Expo offers an excellent platform for connecting industry stakeholders to explore business and investment opportunities in the area of defence and homeland security. In addition, an ‘Invest India’ programme is also expected to attract Indian and foreign start-ups”
The Expo also had dedicated sessions on modernising state police, paramilitary forces, strengthening disaster management system and capability development and modernisation requirement of Indian Army, Navy and Air Force.
Organized by ITPO and PHD Chamber of Commerce & Industry with support of the Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of External Affairs and Ministry of MSME, Government of India, IISE 2019 witnessed some meaningful deliberations by the experts in the defence sector.
