Government eyes to indigenously manufacture most defence systems in 6 years: Reddy

Hyderabad: The government is considering to indigenously manufacture majority of the defence systems that are currently imported, over the next five-six years, scientific advisor to defence minister, G Satheesh Reddy, said on Thursday.

The government has come out with many mechanisms to promote the industries to get them into defence research in a big way and come out with many indigenous products, he said.

Reddy was speaking at the inaugural session of a conclave on 'Connecting the Dots in Telangana's Defence & Aerospace Sector', organised by CII Telangana here.

He said the government is very seriously committed for the indigenous systems to enter the country's services.

"The way the government is looking today, maybe next five to six years majority of the systems, which are being imported should be produced in the country indigenously... whichever the mechanism- Indigenously Designed Developed and Manufactured (IDDM), or through the 'Make in India' programme...Most of them should be produced in the country," Reddy said.

"On missiles, we should be completely self-reliant in about next five years, that is, we should be able to produce them in the country," he said.

According to Reddy, to support the industry, lot of schemes have been brought out, which support the innovative research in the country, like Atal Innovation, Technology Development Fund and Innovative Research Initiative.

He called upon the Indian industries, which have produced a particular technology to tap the export market.

"Many industries have developed lot of technologies and they should look for opportunities outside through exports...My feeling is the industry will survive and can come out in a big way.

"The important thing is that no industry, I think, can survive continuously with only supplying to the Indian armed forces alone...It's very difficult. Let's say these industries, which are producing for Akash (missile), when the orders are over what happens to the production lines of these industries...It's closed," Reddy said.

Therefore, there is a need to have sustained orders for the industry today or these products which have been produced we should be able to export them, he said adding, "The industries operating in the defence sector need to have a definite export potential for ensuring sustained order and quality."

The government is seriously working on this mechanism and the export policy in this regard has been simplified to clear the systems which have been produced in the country for export, Reddy said.

"Lots of enquiries have been coming for many of the systems produced in the country to be exported to various countries," he said.

Under 'Make in India', we have to see what is the priority we need to have. We need technologies which are not there here today and for that we need to tie up with those companies/technologies, which are not here, Reddy said adding, "It should not be creating problems to the already existing industries which have grown here."