India capable of fulfilling its own defence needs: Modi

January 11, 2013 By DeshGujarat - niticentral.com

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi has called for framing a holistic policy to make India self-reliant in defence production for the security forces alongside training skilled human resources. He said India is capable of fulfilling the defence needs of smaller and developing nations too.

Delivering the valedictory address at an International Conference on ‘Defence Offsets’ organised as part of 6th Vibrant Gujarat Global Investors’ Summit in Gandhinagar, he said that India spends a huge amount of foreign exchange in importing arms which required to be curtailed. Research in developing and manufacturing latest sophisticated defence equipment is the crying need of the day.

While seminars are being held on as many as 123 topics at the summit this year, he said he deemed it fit to devote a full day’s brain-storming session dedicated to country’s defence needs.

Modi invited entrepreneurs with engineering background to set up their defence equipment units in Gujarat. He said the State has already a large manufacturing base of small and medium scale units which could be gainfully deployed in defence production in cluster form as well.

Prominent among those present at the conference were FICCI Chairman Ashok Kanodia, FICCI Defence Sub-Committee Chairman Jayant Patil and delegates.