Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday called for greater private sector participation in defence production, increased investment in research and development (R&D) and enhanced manufacturing capacity, asserting that India’s national security increasingly depends on its ability to design, develop, manufacture and control critical defence technologies and equipment.
Addressing the annual day celebrations of the Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers (SIDM), Rajnath Singh praised the organisation’s growing role in strengthening India’s defence industrial ecosystem and fostering policy-industry dialogue.
He said India possesses the talent, industrial capability and policy support required to emerge as one of the world’s leading defence manufacturing nations.
“National security increasingly depends on the country’s ability to design, develop, manufacture and control the technologies and equipment required by our Defence Forces,” Singh said.
Highlighting the sector’s growing global footprint, the Defence Minister announced that India’s defence exports had reached a record ₹38,424 crore in FY 2025-26, registering a growth of over 60 per cent over the previous financial year.
Reiterating the government’s long-term vision, he said India remains committed to achieving ₹50,000 crore in defence exports by 2029.
Emphasising the importance of innovation and indigenous capability development, Singh said defence manufacturers must place greater emphasis on research and development.
“Defence manufacturers must treat expenditure on R&D as an investment that strengthens operational preparedness, improves competitiveness and contributes to national security,” he said.
The Defence Minister also urged industry stakeholders to expand production capacities and build surge manufacturing capabilities to meet future requirements of the Armed Forces while advancing India’s strategic autonomy and self-reliance in defence.
Emphasising the importance of industry participation, Singh recalled his earlier call to increase the private sector’s share in India’s defence production from roughly 24 per cent to 50 per cent.
He noted that the private sector’s contribution to defence production has risen significantly over the past decade and urged industry leaders to work towards achieving the government’s larger objective of expanding private sector participation.
Assuring continued government support, Singh said policy reforms and institutional backing would continue while maintaining standards of regulation, quality, safety and accountability.
On the occasion, Singh presented the SIDM Champion Awards 2026 to 15 defence companies in recognition of their achievements in indigenous technology development, product innovation, design excellence, import substitution, manufacturing excellence and exports.
Congratulating the award recipients, the Defence Minister said their contributions are playing an important role in strengthening India’s self-reliance in defence manufacturing and technological innovation.
SIDM, an autonomous body operating under the umbrella of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), represents a broad spectrum of India’s defence sector, including large corporations, MSMEs, start-ups, academia and foreign original equipment manufacturers.
In a statement issued later, the Ministry of Defence noted that SIDM, established in 2017, has emerged as a key platform for engagement between the government and the defence industry. The organisation has worked closely with the Ministry on reforms related to the Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP), Defence Procurement Manual (DPM), Positive Indigenisation Lists, the SRIJAN portal and the Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) initiative, all aimed at strengthening indigenous defence capabilities and expanding private sector participation.
The event was attended by Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh, Chief of Defence Staff General Raja Subramani, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Krishna Swaminathan, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Northern Command Lt Gen Pratik Sharma, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Eastern Command Lt Gen Bhuvana Krishnan, Director General (Acquisition) A. Anbarasu, SIDM Founder President Baba Kalyani, SIDM President Arun Ramchandani and SIDM Director General Ramesh K.
Brig Ashish Bhattacharyya is the Senior Military Advisor of SIDM.
