In his keynote address, Shri Atul Dinkar Rane, Outstanding Scientist and Director General (BrahMos), DRDO and CEO & MD, BrahMos Aerospace, elaborates on the importance of supporting the manufacturing sector by integrating industry partners. For instance, he discusses how BrahMos has played a crucial role in bringing everyone together under the umbrella of "self-reliance" or "Aatmanirbharta". The success of BrahMos highlights how India as a nation has grown in the past decade. The self-reliance goal also revolves around the capability to manufacture platform systems like tanks, aircraft, submarines, spacecraft, etc. Hence, the nation should have the capability to repel a surprise attack and be able to sustain war for a long time through economic security.
Furthering his talk, Shri Atul Dinkar Rane emphasises on how the manufacturing sector is the backbone of the social and economic development of the country. He also attributes the success of the Indian economy to this emerging sector. However, he also addresses the cracks which need to be filled by re-emphasising the use of high-technology systems in India. One of the most important aspects is not relying on other nations for raw materials. Therefore, having a solid foundation is the key to excelling as a nation in the long run.
Shri Atul Dinkar Rane also discusses three basic dimensions of manufacturing competitiveness. These include innovation in product design and manufacturing processes, upgraded use of technology, and following the quality standards. These three play an instrumental role in building the brand image in the manufacturing sector. Additionally, what is needed for growth is great infrastructure, skilled manpower, resource planning, and supply chain management.
Moreover, he discusses how government initiatives like FDI, offset policy, IDR Act, Startup India, etc., have reformed the workings of the defence sector. His illustrative examples throughout the speech were intriguing to listen to.
In a nutshell, he concludes by re-emphasising the need to invest in the manufacturing sector to boost exports. Undoubtedly, his speech clearly underlines the underlying vision he has for the nation, and the role of the manufacturing sector is a crucial one.
