Defence Production dept steps up state outreach, holds talks with Karnataka officials

Bengaluru, August 29 (PTI) The Department of Defence Production, Ministry of Defence, on Friday said it is actively engaging with states as part of its outreach to strengthen the country’s defence manufacturing ecosystem.

In this context, Rolley M Varma, IOFS, Deputy Director General (DDG), DDP, interacted with officials from the Department of Industries and Commerce, Government of Karnataka, the Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB), and the Karnataka Aerospace Technology Centre (KATC), the ministry said in a statement.

Varma underlined the importance of strong Centre-state partnerships in building a robust defence production ecosystem.

She highlighted several Central government initiatives to accelerate the ‘Make in India’ vision in defence—including increased budget allocations for domestic industry, streamlining of the Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP), preference for indigenous content, and the promulgation of Positive Indigenisation Lists (PILs).

Other measures highlighted were the launch of the Srijan Defence Portal, facilitation of defence exports, the Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) scheme, liberalised FDI policy, simplified industrial licensing, and the strengthening of defence testing facilities.

The statement said Karnataka’s pivotal role in advancing the sector was also underscored.

Discussions focused on the state’s initiatives to promote design, R&D, and innovation in defence manufacturing; the establishment of the Defence and Aerospace Park at Devanahalli as a hub for advanced manufacturing; state-level policy reforms to ease doing business and attract investment; and the implementation of the Aerospace & Defence Policy to boost industrial growth.

S Selvakumar, Principal Secretary, Commerce and Industries Department, and Gunjan Krishna, Commissioner for Industrial Development and Director, Department of Commerce, said Karnataka has always been at the forefront of defence and aerospace production, hosting a large cluster of public and private enterprises.

They added that the state remains committed to working closely with the Ministry of Defence to achieve India’s self-reliance in the sector. PTI AMP SSK