'Make in India' to be a reality in defence, says Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar

1 Dec, 2014: Defence holds huge potential for Indian industry and for contributing to industrial production. Of course, there have been problems over the past decades and we have not concentrated on this industry. For customers, it is a disadvantage because unless you are very sure you cannot invest. All those aspects have been considered and we are working on policies where 'Make In India' becomes reality in this sector.

I thank (Arun) Jaitley for helping me get 80% of the work on track so I can complete it in the next couple of months. All my files ultimately land in on his table.

As regards manufacturing of major defence equipment by the private sector, it depends on the quantum, technology and technology transfer. There are many issues, but we will push through this over one or two years. If we are the biggest customer, we should get things done in our country.

We have been developing tanks. With some improvement and tightening of screws we can get it right. We are developing fighters, but a few items we cannot afford to develop because either they are too little in number or the technology involved is too heavy.

Ultimately, political and industrial minds need to go into it. The bureaucratic mind sometimes creates funny situations.

Courtesy: The Economic Times