India's Defense Production Hits ₹1.5 Lakh Crore; Rajnath Singh Reveals New Ambitious Target

National News: Amid growing security challenges in the world and tensions with neighboring countries, India has strengthened its defense capabilities and made unprecedented growth in defense production. Defense Minister Rajnath Singh recently said that India's defense production has reached an all-time high of Rs 150,590 crore in the financial year 2024-25. This figure is 18% higher than the Rs 1.27 lakh crore of the previous year, 2023-24, while this growth has reached about 90% as compared to 2019-20.

Credit for increase in defense production to combination

Defense Minister Rajnath Singh attributed this remarkable achievement to the combined efforts of the Department of Defense Production, Defense Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs), other public sector units and private industry. He said that this continuous growth is a clear reflection of the strength and self-reliance of India's defense industrial base. Public sector units have contributed about 77% of the total production, while the private sector has played a 23% share. This indicates that the participation of the private sector is also increasing continuously under the government's Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan.

Tremendous jump in defense exports

Not only has there been an increase in production, but India's defense exports have also increased almost 30 times in the last decade. India's defense exports were a mere Rs 686 crore in the year 2013-14, which has increased to over Rs 23,622 crore in the financial year 2024-25. This clearly shows that the Indian defense industry is not only meeting the domestic demand but is also making its place in the world market by exporting world-class weapons and military equipment.

In the last ten years, India has exported defense equipment worth a total of Rs 88,319 crore, which is much higher than the Rs 4,312 crore between 2004 and 2014. This rapidly growing export is a testament to the quality, technical superiority, and reliability of Indian defense products.

Policy reforms and self-reliance initiatives

The government attributes this success to several policy reforms, ease of doing business processes and efforts focused on the 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' initiative. These reforms have improved the defense production environment and played an important role in reducing dependence on foreign imports. Indigenization has been promoted under the Atmanirbhar Bharat scheme, which supports domestic industries and encourages technological innovation in the defense sector.

These initiatives are aimed not only at meeting India's defense requirements but also at establishing it as an exporting country. The progress made in indigenous weapon manufacturing and the growing export potential show that India is strengthening its position in the global defense market.

Way forward

Going forward, India is working towards further boosting its defense production and exports. The Defence Ministry aims to take this figure even higher in the coming years, thereby strengthening the country's security and also boosting economic growth. Government policies, industry collaboration, and technological advancement are working together to make India a self-reliant and reliable nation in the field of defense production.

This achievement clearly shows that India has not only given priority to the security of its borders but has also raised the defense sector as an important pillar from an economic point of view, which will help in the overall progress of the country.