New Delhi: More than 300 participants from India as well as around the globe is participating in the second Defexpo India at the Pragati Maidan (19 to 23 February 2002), organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in association with the ministry of defence. Defence Minister George Fernandes inaugurated the five-day-long exhibition.
 The second land and naval system exhibition is spread over 15,000 sq mtrs and showcases all aspects of defence technologies available in India as well as a wide spectrum of land and naval systems, manufactured by leading manufacturers of the world.
Defexpo India 2002 also offers an opportunity for reviewing the vast potential for the Indian defence industry and laboratories involved in land and naval systems research to help exhibitors and manufacturers not only to explore the expanding Asian market but also to pursue possibilities of collaborations in the field of design, development and production.
 Says Subir Dutta, secretary, defence production and supplies, ministry of defence: "The purpose of organising an exhibition like Defexpo India 2002 is not only to set targets and increase Indias exports but to look at other linkages and focus on the actual requirements of the defence industry.
India with its huge defence budget has always been an attractive market for the world defence industry. The government, with its new defence industrial policy allowing the private sector to actively participate in defence production and opening of 26-per cent foreign direct investment in domestic production, has made India one of the attractive destinations for both national and international defence industry.
 Underlining the role of the private sector in making the Indian defence industry strong and competitive, Dutta said: "The private sector has to live up to the expectations of the defence industry and should focus on the quantity of the foreign exchange spent. A necessary condition that has to be fulfilled is the entrepreneurial ability of the private sector and removing the bottlenecks by bringing about changes in the government policy.
"Out of the Rs 300-crore export orders last year the private sector should target Rs 60 crore. The figure, though not a sustainable one for overall development, is a considerable one to start with," Dutta said.
With the recent political developments, especially in the South Asian and South East Asian region, India too has realised the need to strengthen its defence mechanism and streamline the defence forces, CII said in a press release.
In view of such developments, organising an international event like Defexpo India 2002 has been perfectly timed as it provides a platform for worldwide defence technology partnership in land and naval systems, to promote exportable products manufactured by the ordnance factory board and defence public sector undertakings, invite private sector involvement in defence production and invite participation of international companies seeking to exhibit technologies and products for Indias defence establishment.
As a part of Defexpo 2002, an India defence industry summit will also be held on 21 and 22 February at Pragati Maidan, which will provide a platform for interaction between the top brasses of the Indian defence and their international counterparts. The deliberations of the summit are expected to put forward the perceptions and ideas to establish a strong defence industry base in the country.
"The objective of the first defence industry summit is to understand the perceptions of various agencies on the national defence industry in the backdrop of opening up of defence production to the private sector," says CII defence committee chairman Atul Kirloskar.
The two-day summit will have important discussions on topics like, Need for indigenous defence industry and its methodology, Defence industry partnership and international experience, Impact of globalisation on the defence industry, Emerging trends in military technology in the armed forces, Perception and way forward for the Indian private sector, Planning and implementing emerging defence technologies and others.
Many ministerial delegations from more than 20 countries, including South Africa, Israel, Russia, the UK, France, Poland, Turkey, Iran, Oman, the Philippines and others, are attending the five-day long Defexpo 2002. This is an indication of the strong support India has in these countries.
More than 140 companies from 19 countries are participating in Defexpo, covering a wide spectrum of activities that includes land and naval defence equipment, system manufacture and system integration. A high-level business delegation comprising members of the European Union, such as Austria, France Switzerland, Spain, the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary and Sweden, participating in Defexpo is an indication that India has emerged as an important economic stronghold in the Asian region.
In addition to this, for the first time republics from the Confederation of Independent States like Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Russia and countries like Singapore and Hungary are participating in Defexpo to showcase the latest in defence technological inventions and innovations, providing an unmatched business opportunity for collaborations and joint ventures.
Besides displaying world-class technology, the second Defexpo 2002 will offer a never-before opportunity to all its participants be it private firms, government institutions, overseas companies or defence research and development organisations for the first time.
The exhibition serves as an ideal ground for all industries related to defence services and hosts key players from Indian defence services, manufacturers of defence products and equipment, research and development, dealers and suppliers of defence products and equipment, and others.
The Indian defence industry is represented by 39 ordnance factories, eight defence PSUs and 160 private sector industries. The Indian industry displays the complete range of products, services and communication system available for exports. In order to encourage participation of the small-scale sector, concessional rates are being charged from SSI.
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