‘India to make rapid investments to modernize the defence sector’

May 19, 2022 5:41 pm

 The second day of CII EXCON focused on the technological superiority in the defence sector and how it is going to be the decisive factor in future battles.

The defence manufacturing industry is expected to grow significantly, thereby encouraging the demand for strong infrastructure for the armed forces.  Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in association with the Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers (SIDM) organized a Seminar on ‘Infrastructure Requirement for Armed Forces: Emerging Opportunities & Smart Technology Solutions’ to share perspectives on the necessities and expectations of the Defence and Parliamentary forces.

During the session,  Lt. Gen. Rajeev Chaudhry, VSM, Director General,  Border Roads Organisation, said, “Indian industries have made some rapid strides in recent times and have been disrupted by the continuous advancement of technology. We also aim to embrace the latest technology to meet any challenges that might threaten the country’s security. We are glad that the Government has taken the necessary steps to align the CE sector and promote greater industry participation in the defence to encourage self-sufficiency, indigenization, and technological advancements.”

“India is the world’s third-largest military spender, accounting for 3.7 per cent of worldwide military spending. The government has recognised the defence sector’s potential to strengthen ‘Atma Nirbhar Bharat’. The Indian CE industry has the opportunity to lead the way for greater developments by incorporating technology to reinforce defence,” he added. “Border Roads Organisation (BRO) is continuously working to develop and maintain road networks in India’s border areas and friendly neighbouring countries. With the recently embarked projects for developing roads, bridges and airfields in hostile environments, there are opportunities for CE players to collaborate and further enable the defence sector.”

Lt Gen Harpal Singh, PVSM, AVSM, VSM, ADC  Engineer-In-Chief, Indian Armed Forces said, “India’s defence sector is seeking cooperation from the Indian construction equipment industry to have access to the most up-to-date building technologies and machinery to build a strong infrastructure efficiently with minimal environmental impact. To establish a smart defence base, we need to concentrate on digitized construction, security solutions and support localisation.”

While making the welcome address,  Deepak Shetty, Chairman of CII EXCON said that the Indian CE industry is the 3rd largest market in the world, after China and US. However, India has shown remarkable progress over the years and the sector aims to become the 2nd largest CE market in the world.

While setting the context of the session,  Ravi Chawla, Leader, EXCON Taskforce on Defence and Paramilitary mentioned that the infrastructure sector needs to be included in the spectrum of the armed forces. The CE industry must incorporate standard designs and specialised state of the art technology for the defence sector to sustain itself in extreme terrain conditions. The Civil Engineering Conference for the Asian Region (CECAR) which will be held in September would be a platform to showcase India’s flagship projects of the Armed forces and how technological advancements have been incorporated by the sector.

While proposing the vote of thanks,  Anand Sundaresan, Past President, ICEMA said, “In order to promote Atma Nirbhart and minimise dependency on imports, India has a long way to go. The private players should design and build military systems in conjunction with DRDO and other organisations to create a robust ecosystem for our military force.“

As part of the 11th year celebrations of EXCON, CII is organizing special activities like the focused panel on Alternate Fuels, AI Pavilion, Finance Plaza, Skill Development, Women operating construction equipment and machinery, Equal opportunity awards for women, MSMEs, Digital Transformation besides sustainability & safety among others.