Gandhinagar (Gujarat) [India], August 11 : A seminar on 'Aatmanirbharata in the Defence Sector' was held on Monday in Gandhinagar.
It was jointly organised by the Department of Defence Production, Government of India, in association with the Industries and Mine Department, Government of Gujarat and Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Laghu Udyog Bharati.
According to a release, India's Defence Manufacturing Sector is undergoing a significant transformation, shaped by the national vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat and the strategic roadmap of Viksit Bharat@2047. As more private companies step into defence manufacturing, the role of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) has become increasingly important in building a self-reliant defence ecosystem.
With its strong industrial foundation in engineering, manufacturing, advanced textiles, and speciality materials, Gujarat is well-placed to contribute to India's defence manufacturing goals. However, many Gujarat-based MSMEs still face hurdles in becoming part of national defence supply chains. This seminar aimed to address those limitations and create pathways for greater participation and growth.
While addressing the event, Industries Minister of the Government of Gujarat, Balvantsinh Rajput, said, "India is flourishing with technology, new ideations and Make in India initiatives, huge opportunities and scope of work for MSME."
Principal Secretary, Industries and Mines Department, Government of Gujarat, Mamta Verma, stated in her keynote address, "16,000 MSMEs are currently operating in this sector. Gujarat has a huge potential, and significant work has been done in the field of India. The government schemes should be utilised, leverage the proactive policies, hence more capability in our sector will be developed."
The event also exhibited Stalls of Defence Manufacturing companies like HAL - Hindustan Aeronautical Ltd, Abhyuday Bharat Projects Pvt. Ltd, Unique Forge Rajkot, Inside FPV Drones, Krishna Engineering, SLS System Level Solution, URJA Products Pvt. LTD, Vexma Technologies Pvt. Ltd, Axio Inspired Med Tech, SIDBI, Spike Engineering and many others in Defence production.
The seminar was mainly focused on three key themes -- Vendor Development Programme in the Defence Sector, Startups in Defence, and the Gujarat Aerospace and Defence Policy. The seminar aimed to promote self-reliance in India's defence manufacturing ecosystem by encouraging Gujarat-based MSMEs to participate in national defence procurement, innovation, and exports. It also sought to create linkages between local industries and key stakeholders such as defence PSUs, major private companies in the sector, the armed forces, and research and development organisations. By aligning Gujarat's industrial strengths with national defence priorities, the initiative contributes to the vision of Viksit Bharat@2047. The event focused on several key sectors in Gujarat, including engineering, precision fabrication and machining, defence electronics and embedded systems, UAVs, aerospace and avionics components, armour ceramics and defence textiles, as well as speciality chemicals, coatings, and composite materials.
This seminar is an important step in leveraging Gujarat's strengths as a defence manufacturing hub. It contributes directly to India's goal of becoming one of the top five defence producers globally. Strengthening the MSME ecosystem in this sector also aligns with Gujarat's vision of promoting innovation-driven, high-value industries under the Viksit Gujarat@2047 roadmap.
Manisha Chandra, Joint Secretary, Department of Defence Production, Government of India, delivered a special address on Atmanirbharta in aerospace and defence, and Gujarat's potential. Sanjeev Kumar, Secretary, Department of Defence Production, Government of India, also shared his views. Baldevbhai Prajapati, President of Laghu Udyog Bharati, delivered a special address on the occasion.
The programme included a presentation by Lokesh Kumar Sharma, Deputy Director General, Ministry of Defence, on the role of MSMEs in advancing self-reliance in the defence sector. Swadeshi Empresa Pvt. Ltd., a defence sector startup, delivered a presentation on the startups' role in Aatmanirbharata in defence.
Additionally, Major General Retd. A.K. Channan delivered a speech on defence procurement. Soumendu Ray from Rashtriya Raksha University, Gandhinagar, delivered a presentation on defence startups and innovation. S Murlidharan, Deputy General Manager from SIDBI; Anand Mistry, Senior Deputy General Manager, L&T Precision Engineering & Systems; and Javed Ali, Deputy General Manager, HAL highlighted Aatmanirbharta in the Defence sector as a need of the hour for India. The team from Tata Advanced Systems shared about the 100 schemes executed and how they are working on different business verticals of Aerospace, Defence, weapons etc. The event concluded with a question-and-answer session.