Defence Export To Touch Rs 40,000 Cr By 2026: Rajnath Singh

Union Minister Rajnath Singh said on Tuesday that India would export military equipment and materials worth Rs 35,000 to Rs 40,000 crore by 2026. The defence minister was speaking at the Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw memorial talk on 'The Role of Youth in Nation Building,' which was hosted by Symbiosis International University.

“First, there should be self-assurance that we will make India ‘atmanirbhar’ (self-reliant). We used to do military exports of Rs 900 crore in 2014, but since India adopted the Indianisation (programme), we are now doing defence exports of Rs 15,000 crore to Rs 16,000 crore,” he said.

He was confident that by 2026, defence sector exports would reach Rs 35,000 to Rs 40,000 crore.

“There is a need to create an eco-system, and more than that, there is a need to generate self-confidence among ourselves, because anything is possible with self-confidence,” he added. 

Singh was proud of the defence forces, which are now meeting 80 per cent of their needs through indigenous procurement.