Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday highlighted India’s remarkable evolution into a key global defence exporter under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership. She noted that the country has significantly enhanced its national security while emerging as a reliable contributor to international peace.
Over the last decade, India's defence scenario has undergone a dramatic shift," the Finance Minister wrote on X.
"Our exports in defence have jumped by over 1,100% from ₹1,941 crore in 2014 to an all-time high of ₹23,662 crore in 2024. Today, India is exporting military equipment to over 100 nations across the globe.
Sitharaman further revealed that for the financial year 2025–26, 75% of the defence capital procurement budget has been allocated to domestic production, a decisive step forward in building self-reliance in the sector.
Over 5,000 items have been included in the indigenisation lists under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative launched by the government. The minister said that the number of India's defense manufacturing has gone up exponentially in the past decade and reached ₹43,000 crore ten years ago to ₹1.46 lakh crore today with private industry contributing over ₹32,000 crore.
She underscored the strategic value of the Make-in-India programme, citing Operation Sindoor as a recent example of successful indigenous defence application. “The use of domestically developed systems in Operation Sindoor demonstrated India's ability to breach any enemy defence,” Sitharaman asserted.
Touching upon national security and diplomacy, she also spoke about the Modi government’s major milestones. Operation Sindoor, she noted, resulted in the elimination of over 100 terrorists through missile strikes on nine camps located in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
She complimented the government on foreign policy front as it has taken proper care to protect Indian citizens in international crises. She cited the case of evacuation of over 22,500 Indians from Ukraine during the Russian invasion and rescue of another 3,000 nationals from war-hit Sudan.
Additionally, she drew attention to India’s humanitarian efforts during the Covid-19 pandemic, highlighting the country’s role as a global vaccine provider. “India supplied over 30 crore vaccine doses to more than 100 countries, playing a vital role in curbing the spread of the deadly virus,” the Finance Minister added.
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