Indian Army flags ‘negligible’ contribution by Punjab in defence industry
Says state’s share barely 0.01 per cent in military industry
Chandigarh: The Indian Army has flagged the negligible contribution of Punjab in the country’s defence industry and urged the state government to facilitate an eco-system to encourage industries to venture into the defence domain.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the Additional Director General of Army Design Bureau, Maj Gen CS Mann, pointing out that out of the thousands of industries listed in the Army’s database, only 18 are in Punjab, said that the state’s share was barely 0.01 per cent in the military industry.
“A compendium of problem definition statements released by the Army contained in total about 152 problem statements. And we have received 1,327 responses to this from across the country out of which only seven came from Punjab. This includes four government institutes and one student,” he said in a virtual address at ‘Defence Dialogue: How Can North India Contribute to the Growing Military Industrial Complex in India’, organised by the Gyan Setu Think Tank in collaboration with the Confederation of Indian Industry in Chandigarh.
He said in the past two years, about 116 contracts worth about Rs 1,08,000 crore have been signed by the Indian Army, out of which there is only one contract from Punjab. The ongoing research and development projects being handled by the Army Design Bureau are worth Rs 2,10,000 crore, in which Punjab has just one project valued at less than Rs 1 crore.
Stressing upon the need to move out from traditional domains and comfort zones, Maj Gen Mann said the defence industry will procure what is required by them and not just what the industry has to offer the armed forces. “So, therefore, there may be a need to modify whatever is being done by the industry, customise it for the defence applications,” he said.
