Nagpur: Secretary (Defence Production) Sanjeev Kumar will hold a meeting with stakeholders from private and public defence enterprises in the region during his visit to the city on Friday. The objective is to gather views from stakeholders at all levels to serve as policy inputs. The secretary will arrive in Nagpur along with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to inaugurate a new facility at Yantra India Limited (YIL), a public sector undertaking (PSU) carved out of the ordnance factories.
Participants and Agenda
Representatives from units including YIL (which manufactures hardware for ammunition), Dassault Reliance Aviation Limited (DRAL, which produces parts for Rafael aircraft), Munitions India Limited (also a PSU), and mid- and small-scale ancillary units have been invited. The Vidarbha Defence Industries Association (VDIA) will also participate. The inputs gathered will later be shared at a high-level meeting planned in Delhi in mid-August to draw plans for integrating public and private sector entities in defence production.
Key Issues to Be Raised
Sources indicate that issues such as easy accessibility of data from agencies like the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) may be raised. Some industrialists have also voiced concerns about white labelling of defence products as indigenously made when they are actually imported, an issue expected to be discussed. Participants are likely to address easing the licence process for exports. Although the government has emphasised defence exports, licences take time to be granted, a source noted.
Coordination and State Policy
The meeting in Nagpur is coordinated by the state's industries department. Sources say the state will also draw inputs for framing a policy based on the discussions. The current defence and aerospace policy of the state was framed in 2018. Defence industries have been seeking sector-specific policies, and valuable inputs are expected from the meeting.
Defence Production Growth
This meeting comes as defence production reached Rs 1.78 lakh crore in financial year 2025-26, a 15.6% growth over the previous fiscal. Since 2020-21, growth has been 110%, according to a government release. PSUs accounted for nearly 76% of total production, while the private sector contributed the rest. The private sector's share hit an all-time high of Rs 42,000 crore in value.
