Chandigarh: Stressing that India’s national security can no longer be delinked from indigenous capability building, Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh on Saturday said self-reliance in defence is not just an economic goal but a strategic necessity for the country’s long-term autonomy. Addressing the Defence Skilling Conclave here, Singh said India’s future military strength would rest as much on advanced skills and technology as on traditional battlefield bravery.
Highlighting the progress made under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative, the defence secretary said the country had built a strong and diverse defence ecosystem involving DPSUs, private industry, MSMEs and start-ups. He noted that more than 780 industrial licences had been issued to over 460 companies, while defence exports had crossed Rs 23,000 crore, marking a sharp rise over the past decade. Indigenous platforms such as the LCA Tejas, Astra missile, Dhanush artillery guns and aircraft carrier INS Vikrant, he said, demonstrated the growing maturity of India’s defence manufacturing and design capabilities.
Singh underlined that true strategic autonomy went beyond producing equipment at home and extended to control over skills, technology and intellectual capital. He said initiatives such as Skill India and targeted skilling programmes for defence and aerospace were aimed at creating a workforce capable of supporting advanced manufacturing, research and innovation in the sector.
Echoing the emphasis on skills, Punjab employment generation and skill development minister Aman Arora said that in the modern era, courage on the battlefield must be matched with cutting-edge technical expertise. Pointing to Punjab’s long military tradition, Arora said the state was positioning itself as a defence manufacturing and skilling hub, leveraging its strategic location, air force bases and infrastructure such as international airports. He said the state government was working with industry and academic institutions to address skill gaps and create employment opportunities for youth in defence-linked sectors.
Officials said the conclave focused on aligning industry requirements with skilling frameworks to ensure that India’s young workforce was prepared for emerging roles in defence production, aerospace and strategic technologies. The broader push, they added, was aimed at reducing import dependence, strengthening domestic capability and positioning India as a credible global defence manufacturing and export hub, in line with the country’s evolving security and geopolitical priorities.
BI Bureau
