Blitz Bureau
Four defence companies on June 30 signed memoranda of understanding (MoUs) worth a combined Rs 2,550 crore to invest in Gujarat’s defence sector during a seminar on ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat in Aerospace and Defence’ held as part of the second day of the Vibrant Gujarat Regional Conference (VGRC) for Central Gujarat in Vadodara.
The agreements were signed in the presence of Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh at Gujarat State Fertilisers and Chemicals (GSFC) University, where the two-day regional conference concluded.
According to the organisers, the proposed investments will be made across Kheda, Rajkot, Vadodara and Ahmedabad districts and are expected to generate more than 4,000 employment opportunities.
The projects cover the manufacture of defence systems, defence equipment, aerospace tooling and engines, and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) systems and application hardware.
Dinesh Chandra Defence Systems Private Limited signed an MoU worth Rs 800 crore, Shreeram Aerospace and Defence LLP committed Rs 150 crore, Shree Khodiyar Heavy Engineering Private Limited signed an agreement worth Rs 100 crore, while SRK Tectronics LLP signed the largest MoU, valued at Rs 1,500 crore.
During the interaction session, participants proposed measures, including the development of world-class testing facilities, creation of new testing infrastructure, strengthening Gujarat’s role in defence manufacturing, ensuring domestic availability of basic materials and establishing a defence corridor in the state.
K. C. Sampat, Additional Industries Commissioner of state government, and Managing Director of iNDEXTb, said the discussions would focus on manufacturing defence products currently being imported and on expanding the role of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in achieving that objective.
The seminar featured a panel discussion on ‘From Import Dependence to Indigenous Capability: Building an Atmanirbhar Aerospace and Defence Ecosystem’, bringing together representatives from industry, academia, the armed forces and defence manufacturing organisations to discuss opportunities for expanding indigenous production.
Minister’s assurance
R esponding to a query from Neel Vaidya, founder of Amrut Defence, who said companies often face diႈculties in identifying the appropriate end users for their products and services, Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said he regularly interacts with defence startups and remains informed about their concerns.
“I regularly meet startups working in the defence sector.
I stay informed about their issues and the challenges they face. Our oႈcials are also present during these interactions, and necessary directions are issued immediately.
Various conferences and programmes in this sector continue to be organised regularly.
However, I would like to tell you that whether or not such conferences are held, and even if no meeting is scheduled, as a startup you can directly seek an appointment with the Defence Minister,” he said.
