New Delhi, Aug 24 (FN Agency) Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday stressed on becoming self-reliant in defence manufacturing, as he handed over to the Army the first batch of indigenously manufactured Multi-Mode Hand Grenades. The first batch of Multi-Mode Hand Grenades (MMHG), manufactured by Economic Explosives Limited (EEL) following Transfer of Technology from Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory of Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO), was handed over to the Indian Army in the presence of the Defence Minister on Tuesday. “Today is a memorable day in the history of Indian defence sector.
Our private industry is coming of age when it comes to defence production. It is an important milestone not only in the field of defence manufacturing, but also in achieving ‘AatmaNirbhar Bharat’ as envisioned by our Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” Rajnath Singh said. The Minister listed out the measures undertaken by the government to transform the defence sector into a self-reliant industry which can cater to the present and the future needs of the Armed Forces. He mentioned setting up of Defence Industrial Corridors in Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu; formulation of draft Defence Production and Export Promotion Policy; earmarking around 64 percent of modernisation funds under capital acquisition budget for 2021-22 for procurement from domestic companies, were mentioned among other measures.