Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday vowed to end India's status as the world's number one defence importer, saying he wanted 70% of hardware to be manufactured domestically by the turn of the decade. PM Modi was speaking after inaugurating the 10th edition of Aero India, major aviation industry conference, in Bengaluru where more than 250 Indian companies and 300 foreign firms are participating this year. Defence ministers, senior officials, and hundreds of business leaders from around the world are also in attendance at the largest ever AeroIndia, where Modi government's Make in India programme is in the spotlight. Modi told hundreds of foreign and local businessmen that his government would favour domestic firms when awarding defence contracts as part of a larger push to boost India's manufacturing sector. "We have the reputation as the largest importer of defence equipment in the world," the Prime Minister said at the biennial Aero India show. "That may be music to the ears of some of you here. But this is one area where we would not like to be number one," he added. "We are reforming our defence procurement policies and there will be a clear preference for the equipment manufactured in India." India, which has long been the world's largest buyer of defence equipment, is in the midst of revamping its ageing military hardware and recently lifted a cap on foreign investment in defence. But while his right-wing government has pledged to push forward with planned military purchases which stalled under the previous Congress government, Modi is also determined that the ramp-up in firepower is not at the expense of the domestic defence industry. "Our security challenges are well known, our international responsibilities are evident, and we too need to increase our defence preparedness. We do have to modernise our defence forces. We have to equip ourselves for the needs of the future where technology will play a major role," he said. He also said studies have shown that even a 20 to 25% reduction in imports could directly create additional 100,000 to 120,000 highly skilled jobs in the country. Modi also spoke about involving country's scientists soldiers, academia, industry and independent experts more closely in research and development.
