"Private sector involvement must for indigenisation " 
Kolkata, Aug 2 (IBNS)
Private sector's involvement is must to promote indigenisation and achieve self-reliance, said Captain Aseem Anand, Director, Directorate of Indigenisation, Indian Navy.
Over the years, the Indian industries have been playing a significant role as sub-contractors and ancillaries to the Defence sector.
They have been involved in supplying raw materials, semi-finished products, parts and components to Defence PSUs and Ordnance Factories to a great extent.
With Government of India, continuously increasing its expenditure in Defence and endeavouring to indigenize defence equipments, opportunities are abundant for the industry to partner with Defence bodies especially for the MSMEs.
Against this backdrop, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) organized the second edition of Conference on Industry - Defence Linkage in Kolkata.
It proved to be a forum for the Industry and Defence to come together for creating a sustainable Industry - Defence partnership contributing towards the strong future of the nation.
Addressing the gathering, Captain Aseem Anand, Director, Directorate of Indigenisation, Indian Navy said there is a need to encourage private sector's participation to promote indigenisation and achieve self-reliance as far as defence requirements are concerned.
Dr J Chattopadhyay, Project Director, Agni 1, DRDO, Ministry of Defense, said that it is an opportune moment for the private enterprises to step forward and plunge to capture the huge market potentials of the defence industry.
Requirements are galore in comparison to manufacturers. Indian Defence together with private enterprises and R and D will harbinger a new era in the country, he said.
Rear Admiral A. K. Verma (Retd.) Chairman, Defence Task Force, CII Eastern Region and CMD, Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Limited stated that Defence industry today has multifarious scope for everybody.
Hence private sectors have to integrate themselves in the market, he said. "Eastern India specially is brimming with emerging opportunities in sectors like machineries, electrical items, Hull items etc. which the industry must avail of."
By representing the interests of the Indian Industry, both public and private sector as well as the end users - The Armed Forces, CII has been recognised as the voice of Indian Defence Industry by the Government of India.
The CII said it provides international exposure to Indian Defence Industry by organising inward and outward industry missions. It has organised Defence Industry Mission to USA, UK, South Africa and Israel.
It has also received international delegation from USA, UK, Russia, South Africa, Poland, Slovakia etc.
The CII provides Defence Technical Assessment and Advisory Services (DTAAS) wherein a team of professionals under a team leader carries out this assessment and advisory service. During assessment a company's capability to take up various defence projects are assessed and highlighted to the company.
The CII - Defence Acquisition Management (CII - DAMC) course assists the Indian Industry to familiarise their personnel with the Defence procurement policies and procedures. The course also provides understanding of the defence procurement system and who's who in defence procurement.
CII Eastern Region has set up a Defence Task Force to help SMEs and Industry at large capitalize on emerging opportunities in the defence sector in the East.
The Defence Task Force is committed to identify the growth potential of the industry and help SMEs gear up for the challenge through workshops / forums/factory visits for business opportunities for upgradation of technology and services and also get to explore various business opportunities lying with PSUs (in the defence sector) and various defence bodies.
The task force works towards forming partnerships between the Indian Industry and the Defence sector. The second edition of the Conference on Industry - Defence Linkage held today in Kolkata is another such initiative.
Through the CII network of Offices and its MoU partners, CII Defence Division serves as a reference point for Indian Defence Forces, Indian Defence Industry and the International Defence Community.