Kolar, Feb 17 (IANS) Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Tuesday that India’s collaboration with France is limitless, asserting that the sky is not the limit to nation’s mutually beneficial partnership.

​”India and France are trusted strategic partners,” he said.

He remarked, “We witnessed a milestone in the India-France partnership as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron digitally unveiled the final assembly line of H125 helicopters. My congratulations to the teams of Tata Advanced Systems and Airbus Helicopters on this initiative, which demonstrates our commitment to expanding our partnership in high-end manufacturing.”

Rajnath Singh stated that Make in India and Aatmanirbhar Bharat have been central to India’s economic policy since 2014. Under these initiatives, India is committed to achieving self-reliance in critical technologies and high-end manufacturing through mutually beneficial partnerships.

He said, “For over a decade, India has pursued rapid industrial development through large-scale infrastructure projects, capital investment in key sectors, and schemes such as the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme, while providing a liberalised regime to encourage investment.”

He added, “We have focused on supporting micro, small, and medium enterprises and strengthening the start-up ecosystem. Our goal is industrial development that meets both domestic and international needs.”

He stated, “As Defence Minister of India, I want to highlight steps taken to increase private sector participation in the defence industry. Historically, Indian defence production was mainly public-sector driven due to high capital requirements and long development timelines. The private sector’s contribution was previously limited. However, reforms such as the corporatisation of ordnance factories, incentive schemes, and the establishment of defence industrial corridors have increased the private sector’s share to approximately one quarter of the country’s overall defence output.”

He noted, “Our defence exports have grown significantly, placing India among the top global exporters. This growth has supported MSMEs and auxiliary sectors, which now number over 16,000. Companies source components from Indian MSMEs, and we invite them to deepen partnerships through meaningful technology transfer and to provide advanced solutions that address the security needs of other countries.”

He stated that the H125 programme investment is expected to exceed Rs 1,000 crore and will likely create direct and indirect employment opportunities for skilled young professionals.

He emphasised that the H125 is renowned for its reliability, versatility, and performance in diverse conditions, making it one of the most effective and trusted single-engine helicopters worldwide.

He concluded, “I would like to extend my profound thanks to Airbus France and particularly to the French Defence Minister.”

–IANS

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