India's defence capabilities have witnessed a significant upsurge over the past decade under the leadership of the Modi government, announced NITI Aayog member VK Saraswat on Wednesday.
According to him, the nation now relies on arms imports solely for immediate necessities of the armed forces.
Saraswat, a former chief of the Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO), highlighted that presently, 60 per cent of India's total arms and ammunition are domestically produced. "Indian defence capabilities have experienced substantial growth in the last 10 years," he said.
The Prime Minister Modi-led administration first assumed power in 2014 and secured a decisive mandate in 2019, further solidifying its governance.
"India's entire defence ecosystem is now predominantly indigenous. We resort to imports only for immediate requirements of the armed forces or technologies we do not possess," Saraswat emphasized.
He highlighted the participation of major corporate entities such as the Adani Group, Tata Group, and L&T in manufacturing indigenous radar systems and weaponry, marking a pivotal shift towards self-reliance in defence production.
In response to a recent report by the Swedish think tank SIPRI, which stated that India remains the world's largest arms importer, Saraswat asserted, "While our arms procurement has increased, the proportion of imports relative to our overall defence needs is diminishing, despite the total import value rising."
SIPRI's report on March 11 revealed that India's arms imports had risen by 4.7 per cent between 2014-2018 and 2019-2023.
Addressing concerns about potential power shortages during the upcoming summer, particularly in regions experiencing heatwaves, the NITI Aayog member reassured the public about India's electricity capacity.
Saraswat noted that the country's installed capacity stands at around 452 gigawatts, sufficient to meet its energy demands. "I anticipate no significant power outages this summer due to capacity constraints," he said.
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