Largest-Ever Defense Expo To Be Inaugurated By The PM On October 19

The forthcoming Defense Expo will be significantly larger than the previous one, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will open it here. According to authorities, the government anticipates signing more than 400 Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs), which will result in investments of up to Rs 1.25 lakh crore.

Gandhinagar will host the Defense Expo (DefExpo 2022) from October 18 to 22. “With the theme “Path to Pride,” this year’s Defense Expo will be the largest in the nation. It will demonstrate our dedication to becoming atmanirbhar (self-reliant) in the manufacture of defence. On October 19, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will open it, according to Defense Secretary Dr. Ajay Kumar. “This Defense Expo will be larger in scope than any such event that has previously taken place in the nation. 400 memorandums of understanding (MoUs) that would be signed during the expo and result in investment of Rs. 1.25 lakh crore have already been finalised.

The amount of MoUs and the promise to invest are both double what was agreed upon at the previous exhibition, according to Kumar. According to him, Gujarati businesses will sign 33 memorandums of understanding, which is anticipated to result in investments of more than Rs 5,500 crore in the state.

He also stated that more than 1,320 defence companies will take part in the expo, which will take up one lakh square metres. In contrast to the previous defence expo, which had 1,028 companies, the current one will feature defence ministers from 25 different countries as well as representatives from 75 other countries, the top bureaucrat stated. The highlights of the expo will be three items.

The newly constructed air station at Deesa in Gujarat will effectively be launched, 75 challenges for defence manufacturing will be opened up for start-ups and enterprises, and the indigenously built and developed trainer aircraft by HAL will be displayed for the first time in the expo,” he said.

The India-Africa Defence Dialogue, in which representatives from more than 50 African nations will participate, will take place in Rajnath Singh’s presence, according to Additional Secretary (Defence Production) Sanjay Jaju. There will also be a separate Indian Ocean Region plus (IOR+) conference organised, where delegates from over 40 countries would attend, he said. Jaju responded that Beijing was not a party to IOR + when asked about China’s participation in the conclave.

When asked if the defence ministers of Russia and Ukraine, which are at war right now, will attend the two gatherings, Jaju replied, “Invitations have been extended to countries participating in India-Africa Defence Dialogue and IOR plus conference.” Defence Secretary Kumar responded, “Enough funds are available for modernisation of the inventory of armed forces,” in response to a question about funding for the nation’s armed forces.

The seven new defence businesses, which were created from the former ordnance factories, will all be participating in the big event for the first time at DefExpo 2022, which will commemorate one year since their inception.

The Department of Defense Production’s flagship pavilion, the India Pavilion, will promote India’s vision for 2047 and display the development of domestic defence products, start-ups, and cutting-edge technology, including artificial intelligence in defence.

Ten states and Union territories will erect pavilions at the event for the first time, according to authorities. The first three days of the five-day event will only be open to business, while October 21 and 22 will be open to the general public. They claimed that the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war prevented the expo from being held twice.