Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s recent statement regarding indigenization of the spare parts of defence equipments is a welcome move. In fact ‘Atmanirbharta’ is the new slogan of Modi sarkar. It is really a pity that even after 75 years of independence we still have to rely on Russia and other foreign powers for our defence needs. India has got a lot of potential and there is no dearth of talent in our country.

Our country only lacks in will. In fact it will not be wrong to say that the political establishment never looked at this sector very seriously. Better late than never—at least the country has made its move. India is surrounded by two hostile neighbours—China and Pakistan. The Chinese establishment has made steady progress in the field of defence industry and has already started exporting their defence equipments to various countries. One such loyal taker is Pakistan.

However, the government is trying to rope in private sector in defence industry. It is a good policy indeed because everything cannot be left on to the shoulders of the government. In this respect the government should frame a strict policy for the private players. The trade of defence equipments is very murky.

The government should ensure that the arms and other equipments that will be exported in years to come should not fall in wrong hands just for the sake of earning a few quick bucks. Keeping aside all the pros and cons—Atmanirbharata is the need of the hour.