SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure | SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals
Institutions: Ministry of Defence | Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) | Department of Defence Production (DDP)
Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh announced ambitious goals under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat mission, aiming to achieve defence manufacturing worth ₹3 lakh crore and defence exports worth ₹50,000 crore by 2029. The Ministry highlighted rapid progress in indigenization, with domestic defence production increasing to over ₹1.5 lakh crore and exports reaching a record ₹23,500 crore in the last financial year. To achieve the new targets, the Minister emphasized that future warfare relies on frontier technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI), autonomous systems, and algorithms, urging iDEX innovators to create India’s first Defence Unicorn startup. To support this, the Ministry released a Compendium of State Policies to foster Centre-State collaboration and policy alignment, alongside launching new digital platforms like the Revamped Defence Exim Portal and the SRIJAN-DEEP portal.
This dual push—setting aggressive growth targets while releasing the State Policy Compendium—signals the institutionalization of Aatmanirbhar Bharat as a collective national movement that requires technological leaps and policy alignment across all levels of government.
What is the Compendium of State Policies on Defence and Aerospace Manufacturing? It is a document prepared by the Department of Defence Production (DDP) that consolidates the industrial policies and best practices adopted by all 28 States and 8 Union Territories for the defence and aerospace sector. It matters as it is intended to serve as a guiding resource to foster policy alignment and competition among states to attract defence investments.
Relevant Question for Policy Stakeholders: What market incentives or policy mandates will the Ministry of Defence use to ensure rapid, mandatory adoption of the IRSA standard by all defence communication suppliers?
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