World trusting India's defence tech: PM Modi

Gandhinagar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said exports of Indian defence products have increased eight times in the last few years because the world is now trusting technology being offered by the country and asserted the newly-launched 5G telecom service would take the education system to the next level.

On his latest visit to his home state of Gujarat, where Assembly polls are due in the new few months, Modi inaugurated the Defence Expo 2022 (DefExpo) in Gandhinagar and took part in a host of other programmes. He said the decision of the Indian defence forces to buy a majority of the indigenously made equipment shows the capacity of his government's 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' (self-reliant India) initiative.

India has made its place despite the monopoly of a few manufacturing companies in the defence sector globally, he said. Defence product exports from India reached about Rs 13,000 crore in 2021-22 and "we have set a target of Rs 40,000 crore in the coming years," the PM said. At the expo, aimed at showcasing India's defence manufacturing prowess.

Modi laid the foundation stone for a new airbase at Deesa in Banaskantha district of north Gujarat near the India-Pakistan border and said it will emerge as an effective centre security. "The country has come a long way as earlier we used to release pigeons and now we release cheetahs," he said.

On the issue of maritime security, Modi talked about his vision of the 'Security and Growth for All in the Region' (SAGAR). India's engagement in the Indo-Pacific region is inclusive, he said. "Today, from international security to global trade, maritime security has emerged as a global priority. The role of the merchant navy has also expanded in the era of globalisation," he said.