As India aims to become 'atmanirbhar' (self-reliant) in the defence sector, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday declared that the country would become the largest exporter of weapons in the next 25 to 30 years. For this, he called for active participation of private sector in the defence industry.
The defence minister made the remarks while addressing a gathering after inaugurating an ammunition manufacturing unit at Shirdi in Maharashtra.
"My belief has become firm that India, which was once considered one of the world’s biggest importers of weapons, cannot be stopped from becoming the world’s largest exporters within the next 25–30 years. No power in the world can stop that," he said.
The union minister further stated that the central government has a target of taking the private sector role in defence production to 50 per cent. He said the country will reach new heights due to the vision of the government and the private sector's innovation align.
"The private sector is not just a supplier of nuts and bolts in defence, but also a producer of state-of-the-art weapons systems," Rajnath, a Lok Sabha MP from Lucknow parliamentary seat, said at the event. "All have to work together to make India the hub of munitions and automation."
Who is the largest weapons' exporter?
According to SIPRI Arms Transfers Database, the United States (US) remains the largest exporter of weapons by far. The data showed that it is responsible for 42 per cent of world's total arms export. It is followed by France, which contributes 10 per cent to the world's arms sale.
Russia has witnessed a decline in arms sale, but still contributes 7 per cent to this. Germany and China also contribute 6 per cent each to the world's arms export race. Next is Italy which contributes 5 per cent, while Israel has 4 per cent share in the total arms export in the world.
The SIPRI report showed that India accounts for only 0.2 per cent of the total global arms exports. India still remains the second largest importer of weapons, as per the SIPRI report.
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