Private Sector Has Huge Role in Defence Production: ENC Chief Rajesh Pendharkar
Visakhapatnam: Private sector has a huge role to play in defence sector, which can take the country close to total indigenisation, said Vice Admiral Rajesh Pendharkar, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Naval Command, Visakhapatnam.
Addressing the CII Southern Regional Council meeting in Visakhapatnam on Friday, he pointed out that Indian Navy has surged ahead due to increased indigenised content in ship and submarine design, construction, machinery, equipment and systems.
“This would not have been possible without the proactive and whole-hearted support of the Indian industry,” the Vice Admiral underlined. He disclosed that Indian Navy is striving towards acquiring a force level of 170 ships and submarines by 2035 by progressively increasing the indigenous content of systems on board these platforms. Presently, 67 ships are under construction, 65 of them in Indian shipyards, he pointed out.
Vice Admiral Pendharkar said the Indian Navy has a dedicated organisation to support Atma Nirbharta, wherein the Directorate of Indigenisation (DoI) and its units at command level are steering a large number of indigenisation projects for import substitution.
The ENC chief said DoI has listed 5,629 import items whose substitutes are to be indigenously developed. DoI is currently steering 107 indigenous projects with an investment of ₹3,218.5 crore. Of these, 52 contracts of ₹680 crore have already been signed.
The Vice Admiral said the Navy has projects running with more than 160 MSMEs, start-ups and large industries. 100 projects under iDEX, 25 projects under TDF and 37 projects under MAKE schemes. Further, discussions are in progress with firms located in Andhra Pradesh for harnessing expertise available in common fields of interest like 3D Printing and Scanning, he added.
The CII Southern Region Council meeting witnessed participation from over 60 leading CEOs and captains of industry from six southern states, including Kamal Bali, CII Southern Region chairman.
