ASSOCHAM defence meet: output at Rs 1.8 lakh crore, sandbox for Maharashtra proposed

The first stakeholder meeting of the ASSOCHAM Maharashtra Aerospace and Defence Council discussed the direction of the country's defence sector. Addressing the meeting, former Army chief General Manoj Pande, PVSM, AVSM, VSM, ADC (retired), said the priorities of India's defence production sector are moving rapidly away from assembly-based production towards ownership of indigenous technology and new research.

Stressing the government's changing policy approach, General Pande said, "The goal is clearly moving from 'Make in India' to 'Owned by India'. It is not enough to take technology transfer and simply put parts together here. It is essential to have our own IP in technology and sub-systems."

Arun T. Ramachandran, senior vice president of L&T Precision Engineering and Systems and president of SIDM, said defence industry production in the country reached about Rs 1,80,000 crore in the last financial year. Milind Hardikar, president of the ASSOCHAM Maharashtra State Council, said the sector's future will not rest on production capacity alone. In his view, it will also depend on the ability to design, develop and reinvent advanced technology.

ASSOCHAM Secretary General Saurabh Sanyal, in a virtual address, said the focus should move beyond replacing imports with domestic manufacturing to indigenous design and exports. He said Maharashtra's industrial base and skilled manpower are very useful for this. Sanjay Chakravarty, chairman of the ASSOCHAM Aerospace and Defence department, set out the aim of building a complete, collaborative defence ecosystem in Maharashtra.

During the discussion, an important proposal was made to set up a dedicated testing and validation facility, or "sandbox", in Maharashtra. The need for greater coordination among industry, the armed forces and the government was also raised. To tackle challenges such as high production costs, working capital problems and the availability of skilled manpower, the target is to finalise a draft and a working group framework by March 2027, with the aim of implementing it from April 2027.

The event ended with a vote of thanks by Parminder Jeet Kaur, ASSOCHAM's state and Union Territory head.