India’s arms imports significantly reduced in last 4-5 years: LG

Jammu, Sep 11 (PTI) India’s arms imports reducing significantly in the last 4-5 years and defence export reaching an all-time high in the last financial year shows our commitment to innovation and Indigenous technology development, Lieutenant Governor Major Sinha said on Monday.

Sinha made the remarks while attending the North-Tech Symposium-2023 held on Jagti Campus of IIT. He attended the event along with Chief of defence staff (CDS) Gen Anil Chauhan.

The CDS too held informal interaction with the media.

The Lt Governor congratulated the Northern Command, Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers (SIDM) and IIT Jammu for jointly hosting hundreds of industries and defence tech startups.

“It is a proud moment for the academia as for the first time since its inception North-Tech Symposium, defence expo is being held in IIT Jammu,” the Lt Governor said.

He said that the three-day event will showcase cutting-edge technological advancements of the Indian Army and forge a synergy between army, industry, and academia in research, development, and innovation in defence technologies.

Sinha also highlighted India’s emergence as defence exporter and its self-reliance in defence production.

“Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi Ji, the country has witnessed major push for Aatmanirbharta in defence. We are a responsible space power and have shown our strategic strength,” the Lt Governor said.

The launch of INS Vikrant last year vindicated the country’s resolve to develop indigenous capabilities, he said.

“Our arms imports have reduced significantly in the last 4-5 years and defence export reached an all-time high in the last financial year. It shows our commitment to innovation and Indigenous technology development,” he said.

Sinha said that the Centre has set the target of achieving 70 per cent self-reliance in weaponry by 2027, which is providing unlimited opportunities to private industries, MSMEs, and tech startups to build.

On the occasion, the Lt Governor congratulated and expressed his gratitude to the armed forces for their service to the nation.

Lieutenant General M V Suchindra Kumar, Vice Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi, GOC-in-C Northern Command, Lt Gen Rajiv Ghai, GOC 15 Corps, Prof Manoj S Gaur, Director, IIT Jammu, Dr Sunil Misra, Director General, Society for Indian Defence Manufacturers (SIDM), senior officers of Army, Police, Civil Administration, members of SIDM, industry leaders, students and young entrepreneurs were present.