CHENNAI: It will be a celebration of the success of Indian micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in supplying equipment to the armies of the world, when the DefExpo-2018 opens on April 11, according to Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar.
Billed as the largest-ever defence expo and spread over 2.9 lakh sq ft, the event will witness the participation of 701 firms, of which 20 per cent will be Indian MSMEs highlighting focus on the ‘Make in India’ initiative. It will also try to portray India as one of the top five defence manufacturing hubs, said Kumar, at a curtain-raising press conference on Sunday.
The last expo was held in Goa and the venue was spread over 2.25 lakh sq ft.
The event will see the involvement of 162 foreign firms and 539 Indian companies. Of the 2.9 lakh sq ft, Indian companies will be occupying 72 per cent of the space. The site of the largest expo is 25 per cent bigger than the last one and organisers are hoping that the event witnesses one lakh footfalls. The event is organised at a cost of `800 crore, with the Defence Ministry spending `100 crore.
This will generate business economy worth `1,000 crore, which includes business in hotels, transport and tourism.
The major attraction at the expo will be the state-of-the-art Indian pavilion being set up at 35,000 sq ft, which will be inaugurated by Prime Minister on April 12. The pavilion will showcase the strength of Indian public sector and private sector, said Kumar.
Interestingly, this is the first time that a live demonstration of all three platforms — Army, Air Force and Navy — is being held during the expo.
However, the buzzword at the expo will be innovation and startups. With Tamil Nadu becoming one of India’s defence hubs, the first defence innovation hub will be set up in Coimbatore in collaboration with Coddisia at a cost of `20 crore, he said.
With a view to bringing a greater engagement of startups with defence, the government is coming up with the scheme called Innovations for Defence Excellence, which will set up a network of defence innovation hubs across the country and the scheme will be formally launched in the Defexpo-2018.
He said the inaugural ceremony would be webcast across the globe through Indian embassies. The DefExpo will also link Officers Training Academy (OTA), with the gates of OTA being thrown open for public on April 13 and 14.
Another major attraction is the India-Russia Military Industry Conference, which will be held on the sidelines of the DefExpo. Over 100 Russian and 200 Indian industry leaders are likely to participate.
Meanwhile, Indian Navy vessels will be available for onboard viewing at the Chennai Harbour on April 13 and 15.