Lucknow: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday said that the huge participation of foreign countries and exhibitors in the DefExpo 2020, to be held at Uttar Pradesh capital Lucknow from February 5-9, reflects India’s growing stature in the international arena where the world listens to it and powerful nations take pride in marching in step with New Delhi.
Mr Singh was speaking at the Curtain Raiser event on the eve of the DefExpo in Lucknow.
He said the participation in such a large number is not merely a business endeavour, and that is the reason why every new edition of DefExpo breaks all its previous records.
He said that in magnitude and endeavour, the exhibition is unparalleled in recent times and will present a golden opportunity for interaction and brainstorming to innovators, manufacturers, market leaders, government and other stakeholders.
Highlighting the special features of the DefExpo 2020, the minister indicated that ‘India-Africa Defence Ministers Conclave’ will be organised for the first time in which more than 30 African countries will participate.
He also informed that Ministers from over 40 countries will take part in this edition of DefExpo, making it an important opportunity for countries to further strengthen defence ties with India.
Emphasising that the aim of DefExpo is to make the nation stronger and prosperous, Mr Singh said that the stature of India is growing because of the dynamic leadership and vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and the country now aspires to be the Economic Superpower in the world.
He said the Government is working on making the country a Defence Manufacturing hub and has made sincere efforts in promoting indigenous manufacturing in the defence sector through initiatives like ‘Make in India’.
Stressing that a large country like India cannot depend on imported arms and aspire to become a global superpower, he said that Government’s aim is to develop a vibrant and world class domestic defence industry so that dependence on imports is reduced and India becomes self-reliant in defence production.
He underlined that the DefExpo will give an opportunity to explore the capabilities of indigenous defence industry in partnership with prominent countries like US, Russia and South Korea etc, and will lead to strengthening the ties and promoting shared prosperity.
He said that DefExpo will also be a good platform for Indian companies to display their innovations and future possibilities in areas like military power, artificial intelligence, cyber security, e-management, augmented and virtual reality and future forces.
