14th edition of Aero India; Rajnath Singh will host Defence Ministers Conclave on February 14

Defence minister Rajnath Singh will host Defence Ministers’ Conclave on February 14 on the sidelines of the 14th edition of Aero India being held at Bengaluru. The conclave will comprise defence ministers of foreign friendly countries who would also be attending Aero India 2023.

“The conclave would address aspects related to deepen cooperation for capacity building (through investments, R&D, joint venture, co-development, co-production and provisioning of defence equipment), training, space, AI and maritime security to grow together with the broad theme ‘Shared Prosperity through Enhanced Engagements in Defence (SPEED).The conclave is an opportunity for defence ministers of all foreign friendly countries and India to engage with each other to carry forward the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘Make in India, Make for the World’ for a secure and prosperous future for generations to come,” Ministry of Defence (MoD) in a release.

The MoD also said that the campaign for ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ (self-reliant India) in the defence sector is aimed towards developing a self-sufficient defence ecosystem, with an increase in indigenous defence manufacturing and production capability.

“The Indian defence sector has shown promising growth despite the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. India is shifting its focus towards defence innovation and technology incorporation to design and develop weapon systems of the future. While the domestic requirements are large enough to sustain the indigenous industry, India would like to partner with friendly countries to take the defence production to next level and share the benefits to ensure shared prosperity. The growth in the aviation sector has been impressive and other sectors are also poised well for massive expansion,” MoD said.

“The aerospace market is expanding in India with an exponential rise in demand for military equipment by defence forces. The aerospace industry is also gearing up majorly to cater to the demand of aircraft, UAVs and communication systems. The opportunities in the aerospace industry for the Indian industries will enhance favourable defence policies with the other countries by creating an ecosystem in India. Satellite enabled technologies such as information technology, Artificial Intelligence (AI), chip manufacturing and communication technology are areas where massive scope for jointness exists,” it said.