Dehradun MSME Conclave Aims To Boost Indigenous Defence Equipment

The event, organised by the production wing of the defence ministry, saw the participation of 70 MSME players in the sector from the Dehradun region.

Dehradun: In line with the Prime Minister's 'Make In India' initiative to promote indigenous defence manufacturing and procurement, the production wing of the defence ministry organised an MSME conclave in Dehradun where over 70 entrepreneurs from the region took part.

Vipul Kumar Sinha, chief general manager of India Optel Limited, a defence PSU, which took part in the conclave said the initiative proved to be very effective and India Optel has been working effortlessly to bring all defence PSUs in the Uttarakhand region in one platform. A positive internalisation list was prepared for the in-house manufacturing of 450 defence-related equipment including vital components of ballistic mechanisms used in missile technology of which 300 were produced from the region itself. Aside from this, an eye control system is also being prepared in the region for the missile information block used in armed vehicles. The current geopolitical situation necessitates the enhancement of indigenous manufacturing.

Elaborating on the features of iDEX (Innovation for Defense Excellence), Vivek Virmani, a senior officer of the Defence Innovation Organisation (DIO), said India boats of a vast presence of MSMEs and the production and innovation wings of the ministry are encouraging them to move forward towards self-reliance and indigenousness. The Department of Defense Production (DDP) is hosting such programs in collaboration with industry players. This exercise is being done to increase the possibilities and to promote new startups in this field.