New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated DefExpo 2022 at Mahatma Mandir Convention and Exhibition Centre in Gandhinagar, Gujarat on Wednesday morning. At the India Pavilion, the Prime Minister also unveiled HTT-40 – the indigenous trainer aircraft designed by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited. The aircraft has state-of-the-art contemporary systems and has been designed with pilot-friendly features. The Prime Minister also launched Mission DefSpace to develop innovative solutions for the Armed Forces in the space domain through industry and start-ups. He also laid the foundation stone of the Deesa airfield in Gujarat.
Addressing the gathering, Modi welcomed the delegates to an event of a capable and ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ both as a Prime Minister and as a son of Gujarat. Remarking on the organisation of the DefExpo 2022, the Prime Minister said it paints a picture of ‘New India’ and its capabilities whose resolve is being forged at the time of Amrit Kaal. He added that it is an amalgamation of the country’s development as well as states’ cooperation. “It has the power and dreams of the youth, it has the resolve and capabilities of the youth. It has hopes for the world and opportunities for friendly nations,” the Prime Minister said.
Underlining the uniqueness of this edition of DefExpo, the Prime Minister said “this is the first defence expo where only Indian companies are participating and it features only Made in India equipment”. He announced “From the land of Iron Man, Sardar Patel, we are setting an example of the capabilities of India before the world. The Expo has more than 1,300 exhibitors which include the India Defence Industry, some joint ventures associated with Indian Defence Industry, MSMEs and more than 100 start-ups. The Prime Minister remarked that it provides a glimpse of the capability and possibility of India in one single frame. He further informed that more than 400 MoUs are being signed for the first time ever.
Noting the positive response from various countries, the Prime Minister expressed happiness that when India is giving shape to its dreams, 53 friendly countries from Africa are walking with us. The second India-Africa Defence Dialogue will also take place on this occasion, the Prime Minister informed. “This relationship between India and Africa is based on time-tested trust that is further deepening and touching new dimensions with the passing of time”, the Prime Minister added.
Dwelling upon the old ties between Africa and Gujarat, the Prime Minister recalled that the first railway lines in Africa had the participation of people from Kutch. Many words used in daily life in Africa have their origin in the Gujarati community in Africa. “Even for a global leader like Mahatma Gandhi, if Gujarat was his birthplace, then Africa was his first ‘Karmbhoomi’. This affinity for Africa is still central to India’s foreign policy. During the Corona period, when the whole world was worried about the vaccine, India delivered the vaccine giving priority to our friendly countries in Africa,”, he said.
In his address, Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh described ‘Path to Pride’ as not just a theme of DefExpo 2022, but also a new objective of a ‘New India’ which is strong and ‘Aatmanirbhar’. He asserted that the conduct of DefExpo 2022 at the beginning of ‘Amrit Kal’ reflects the Government’s strong resolve to protect the nation from all threats and transform India into a global defence manufacturing hub in the next 25 years. “DefExpo is a symbol of an aspirational and self-reliant India. It is a symbol of the pride, power and resolve of India,” he said.
Rajnath Singh emphasised that national security has always been accorded top priority by the Government, adding that “land, water and sky are already witnessing to the valour of our military, but now we are expanding our defence capabilities by reaching the depths of the ocean in the form of Under Water Domain Awareness and heights of space as Aero-Space force”. Mission Def-Space, launched by the Prime Minister, is a major milestone in that direction, he said. Under Mission Def-Space, 75 challenges are being opened to get innovative solutions, based on the defence requirements in the space domain.
Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendrabhai Patel, Governor of Gujarat Acharya Devvrat, Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral R Hari Kumar, Chief of Army Staff General Manoj Pande and Defence Secretary Dr Ajay Kumar were among those present on the occasion.
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