“March for Aatmanirbharta and Make for the World”

The Annual Session of SIDM was organized on 28 September 2021 at ITC Maurya, New Delhi. The theme of the session “March for Aatmanirbharta and Make for the World” was conceptualised with the aim of sharing perspectives about the roadmap for the Defence Industry to achieve “Aatmanirbharta” through indigenous products and equipment. It was held as a hybrid conference due to the prevailing Covid pandemic and taking safety protocols into consideration. Around 125 delegates were physically present, and  the conference had 500+ virtual delegates.

Prominent Voices

Mr Rajnath Singh, Hon’ble Defence Minister, Chief Guest of the Annual Session, emphasised that the Indian defence industry is home to manufacturers who can create a perfect blend of state-of-the-art, high quality and cost-effective hardware which will not only bolster national security but make India a net defence exporter. The Defence Minister reiterated the Government’s resolve of ensuring that the ‘Make in India’ and ‘Make for the World’ initiative  succeeds by drawing lessons from the past, giving due attention to the present and empowering the future. He also added that the Government has opened up opportunities to build a Mega Defence Programme, including fighter aircraft, helicopters, tanks and submarines through the strategic partnership model  which will help our private companies become global giants in the years to come. The recent contract of 56 transport aircraft for the Indian Air Force is one such example. The Minister added that the growing popularity of SIDM also reflects the growth of the  country’s defence industry. On the setting up of the first SIDM state office in Lucknow & the signing of the agreement with the Uttar Pradesh Expressway Industrial Development Authority to promote investments in the UP Defence Industrial Corridor, he stated that these initiatives indicate the quality of vision & approach of SIDM which will certainly facilitate in achieving  the goal of self-reliance.

Mr Jayant D Patil, President, SIDM in his address said “The Ministry of Defence and Industry have moved together. An enormous amount of progress has been made in the last few years”. He added that unprecedented reforms are being  introduced for the Defence Industry by the Government.

Mr Baba Kalyani, Founder & Immediate Past President, SIDM said “ Speaking for the Industry, I would like to state that we are extremely encouraged and motivated and I can promise you (Raksha Mantri) that these programmes and the ones to be launched in the future will propel investments, employment and Aatmanirbharata in the defence sector”.

Mr SP Shukla, Vice President, SIDM concluded the Inaugural Session and thanked the Hon’ble RM for his unstinted support to the Industry, “When it comes to innovation, there is no large company, there is no small company. Innovation comes  from the minds of people. We would like to promote, nurture, and cherish all our engineers across the spectrum within the industry”, he said.

The Conference also involved deliberations on Policy and R&D initiatives by the Ministry of Defence wherein  Dr G Satheesh Reddy, Secretary R&D and Chairman, DRDO; Mr Raj Kumar, Secretary (Defence Production) and Mr V L Kantha Rao, Additional Secretary & Director General (Acquisitions) shared their perspectives. Discussions on Revenue Procurements by the Armed Forces involved views from Air Marshal VibhasPande AVSM, VSM, Air Officer-in-Charge Maintenance;   Vice Admiral Deepak Kapoor, Controller of Logistics, and Maj Gen NKV Patil, ADG, Procurement.

SIDM Champion Awards

To acknowledge the distinguished performance of industries in the Defence and Aerospace  sectors, SIDM has instituted awards in specific categories. The

spin-off of such recognition and acknowledgement would encourage the member Industries to rededicate themselves and scale up their engagement to the National Cause to the next level. Hon’ble RM felicitated the Awardees.

Companies were awarded for the following Categories and Sub-categories.