In recent times, India’s defence sector has been witnessing unprecedented growth, driven by a surge in indigenous research, development, and manufacturing. Speaking at the convocation ceremony of the Defence Institute of Advanced Technology (Deemed to be University) in Pune, DRDO Chairman and Secretary of Defence R&D, Dr. Samir V. Kamat, lauded the nation’s recent achievements, calling them a “proud moment for all of us.”
Highlighting the highest-ever annual defence production figures, Dr. Kamat credited the government’s flagship initiatives—Atmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India—for instilling confidence in domestic manufacturers. “The industry now has the assurance that the Ministry of Defence will procure sophisticated, indigenously made systems,” he noted, expressing optimism that the upward trend will continue.
The financial year 2024–25 recorded an all-time high defence production value of ₹1,50,590 crore—an 18% increase from the previous year’s ₹1.27 lakh crore, and a striking 90% jump from FY 2019–20’s ₹79,071 crore. This surge underscores the growing strength of India’s defence industrial base.
Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh praised the achievement, acknowledging the collaborative efforts of the Department of Defence Production, Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs), public sector manufacturers, and private industry. Taking to social media platform X, he congratulated all stakeholders for their contributions under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
DRDO’s own performance further reinforces this success story. Over the past three years, the organisation has completed 138 projects, including 30 in the first seven months of 2025 alone, worth ₹1,859 crore. In 2024, DRDO successfully delivered 60 projects valued at ₹3,989 crore, reflecting its sustained drive to enhance national defence capabilities.
Minister of State Sanjay Seth emphasised the critical role of synergy between DRDO, industry, and academia in developing Directed Research and transforming it into practical defence technologies. The recently launched Long Term Directed Research Policy aims to deepen such partnerships, encouraging participation from start-ups, MSMEs, private industry, and academic institutions. The policy outlines guidelines for engaging industry as Co-Principal Investigator in DRDO Industry Academia Centre of Excellence (DIA-COE) projects, fostering technology transfer and accelerating innovation.
With record production figures, strategic policy frameworks, and strengthened industry–academia collaboration, India is stepping into a new era of self-reliance in defence manufacturing—bolstering both national security and technological prowess.
Source: ET Manufacturing
