DEFENCE AND GEOPOLITICAL NEWS

Rising defence orders and policy support point to strong growth for domestic manufacturers, but supply-chain gaps, lumpy spending and execution remain key risks.

Initial nod accorded for proposed procurement of recce vehicles, indigenous helicopters, radars and electronic warfare systems across the three services

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said India's domestic defence production has nearly quadrupled over the last decade to around Rs 1.80 lakh crore, while exports have surged to nearly Rs 39,000 crore, as the country moves steadily towards self-reliance in the defence sector. Singh made the remarks after laying the foundation stone of a Rs 472-crore facility for the overhaul of T-series battle tanks at the 57-year-old Vehicle Factory Jabalpur (VFJ), an ordnance unit here. "Domestic defence (arms and ammunition) production, which stood at Rs 46,000 crore in 2014, has now reached approximately Rs 1.80 lakh crore. Similarly, defence exports have increased from around Rs 1,000 crore in 2014 to nearly Rs 39,000 crore," he said. The government has set a target of achieving defence exports worth Rs 50,000 crore by 2028-29, the defence minister said. "India's defence sector has now taken firm steps towards complete self-reliance. The world's perception of India is changing, and the

Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Sunday said the convergence of streams like space technology, AI, quantum technologies, robotics, semiconductors and high-performance computing will determine a nation's geopolitical positioning. Speaking here on the 3rd National Space Day, the Union culture and tourism minister also said private participation in the space sector does not mean reducing the importance of entities like ISRO. Privatisation of space is the "democratisation of space opportunities," Shekhawat asserted at the event, organised by the Space Applications Centre (SAC), Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the Department of Science. Today is the age of space technology, artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, robotics, humanoids, advanced materials, semiconductors and high-performance computing, he said, adding that life will certainly be transformed in the coming years. "Just as science is ultimately integrating in the form of a pyramid, in the coming

Defence production has risen 140% since FY17, while private-sector output has grown 198%, as policy reforms increasingly open strategic programmes to industry.

The identification of industries and products to apply chokes on China merits attention and greater focus on execution