Micro, Small and Medium-scale Enterprises (MSMEs) should make use of opportunities emerging in the Defence sector as there is focus on indigenisation, said C.B. Ananthakrishnan, Director – Finance and CFO of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited.

Speaking at GMCV 2030 organised here on Friday by INTEC, Texas Ventures, and Coimbatore District Small Industries Association (CODISSIA), Mr. Ananthakrishnan said that more than 3,000 items related to the Defence sector are listed on the Indian indigenisation portal. Of the total capital expenditure budget of Rs. 1.5 lakh crore for the Defence sector this year, 68 % is allocated for indigenisation and it will bring orders to both, the public and private sectors. There is also an allocation for design and development. Apart from these, there are Defence corridors coming up in Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh.

There are several challenges in procuring for the Defence sector from other countries and it is important to be self-reliant.

At HAL, the outgo for sourcing from Tamil Nadu increased in 2021-2022 and it is all set to increase substantially every year. HAL is looking at increasing its indigenisation from 50 % to 65 %. It has also identified 30 items for indigenisation by CODISSIA Innovation and Atal Incubation Centre for it.

The seminar Global Manufacturing Cluster Vision 2030 (GMCV) on the theme “Positioning Manufacturers for the Econ.