India should be a big exporter of arms

  

In one of my previous posts, I had suggested that India could be a big arms exporter, rather than the biggest importer. The following incidents vindicate what I had said. And it can be a big solution to many of the country’s problems.

During the Conclave of India Today, when Narendra Modi was giving his keynote address, Gen. V.P. Malik, former Chief of the Indian Army got up to ask him a very relevant question. He said that India’s defence budget was Rs.2 lakh thousand crores, and he also added in jest that ‘I don’t know how many zeroes the figure has’. He went on to say that 70% of India’s defence equipment is imported and India is the largest importer of arms, and this leads to corruption. He asked Modi what his view was. Modi’s reply was that he strongly believes that India can not only be self-sufficient, but also can, and should be a big exporter of arms. He told Malik that during ‘Vibrant Gujarat 2013’, where 121 countries were represented, he had made a separate category of arms suppliers and ex-army generals, who advise the government on defence and also Indian companies, engaged in, or interested in manufacturing such equipment.

“Work has already started in Gujarat to make it a hub of such military hardware”, says Modi. “In fact, just a few moments ago, I met an executive of a foreign company, which was interested in making defence aircraft, as I was on the way to the Conclave, and I told him I was interested and to please meet me later”.

Only days ago, the defence minister asked the Army to place a big order of Rs.1300 crore for 155mm howitzers, similar or better than bofors, to an Indian company, which I believe is L&T. Normally, the Army, after 10 to 15 years of field trials, rejects Indian made equipment on some pretext or the other, and even this order would have gone to some foreign company. And the trials for these Indian guns have been completed this time around.

Tatas make entire bodies of helicopters for a well-known US helicopter company. Soon they will start making the entire helicopters.

If we can make hitech equipment like missiles, howitzers, fighter jets, choppers, then aircraft carriers is no big deal.

China has a 10% higher defence budget than India, but look at its military might, that it has now begun to challenge powers like US & Russia.

Even in case of passenger jets, there are only two major manufacturers – Airbus & Boeing. They have a cartel. China has decided to challenge them, and a year or two ago has started on an ambitious project to make as many as 3,000 passenger jets, may not be in the class of Airbus, but they are getting there.

If India too takes up such projects and completes them within time, we could be big exporters of high value goods. We would then have a current account surplus, instead of a huge deficit and year after year we are tinkering with taxes, and inviting foreigners to dump their goods in India.

There is no ‘out-of-the-box’ thinking, because we do not have a visionary leader. That is the root cause of high inflation, fiscal deficits, high interest rates and all the economic malaises.

Sonia Gandhi has no vision except to remain in power by hook or by crook.

We need somebody like a Narendra Modi or a Raj Thackeray or Arvind Kejriwal. I am sure in a 1.2 billion population, there would be atleast a 100 good men, but, “power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely”. So, those in power should keep such people out, who are drunk in the addiction of power.

But change will come and I think soon!