"Self reliance and meeting country's defence requirements are inescapable necessity": Army Chief Gen Manoj Pande

Addressing the gathering at the inaugural ceremony of 'Swa:Raksha - For India, For The World' organised by Adani Defence and Aerospace in Kanpur, COAS, General Manoj Pande said, "Self-reliance, as a strategic imperative, has been underscored by the recent events, in the geopolitical landscape of the world."

"The impact of external dependency for critical components, supply chain disruptions and weaponisation of denial regimes came to the fore during the pandemic as also from the lessons of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict," he said.

"These developments reinforce the fundamental fact that the nation's security cannot neither be outsourced nor be dependent on others. The need to be self-reliant and meet our defence's requirements is hence an inescapable necessity," said General Pande.

Adding further, he said, "As guardians of the nation's security, we have seized with the need to completely move away from dependency for our capability, development and requirements. Modernisation and technology fusion into our war-fighting system is therefore being given effect in conformity to our commitment to the vision of Atmanirbharta."

Multiple initiatives by the government and the Indian Army to provide an environment in terms of policy provisions, licensing norms, establishment of defence industrial corridors and hand holding in terms of trials and testing have given significant filip to defence manufacturing ecosystem and have resulted in major contracts being awarded to the Indian defence industry, he added.

Further, the top official said, "Concurrent to our initiatives to transform ourselves into an Atmanirbhar and future ready force as regards acquiring new weapon platforms, equipment and systems is the need to be able to indigenously source or produce all that is necessary to find that is required for the maintenance requirements."

Earlier on Monday, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath inaugurated South Asia's largest integrated ammunition manufacturing complexes by Adani Defence and Aerospace in Kanpur.

Chief of Army Staff, General Manoj Pande, GOC-in-C of Central Command, Lt Gen NS Raja Subramani and other senior officers of the Defence forces and Uttar Pradesh government were present on the occasion.

The unveiling of the facilities coincided with the fifth anniversary of the Balakot airstrike, 'Operation Bandar', a historic operation by the Indian Air Force that was a testimony to India's strategic assertiveness over external threats.

Spread over 500 acres, the facility in Kanpur is set to become one of the largest integrated ammunition manufacturing complexes. It will produce high-quality small, medium and large-calibre ammunition for the armed forces, paramilitary forces and police. The facility has started rolling out small-calibre ammunition, starting with 150 million rounds estimated at 25 percent of India's annual requirement. (ANI)

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