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<p data-start="150" data-end="488"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced that India has witnessed a dramatic rise in its defence exports, surging over 1,100% in the last ten years. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India has evolved into a significant defence exporter and a trusted contributor to global peace and security.</span></p>
<p data-start="490" data-end="697"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Highlighting the transformation, she noted that defence exports rose from ₹1,941 crore in 2014 to a record ₹23,662 crore in 2024. Today, Indian military hardware is being exported to more than 100 countries.</span></p>
<p data-start="699" data-end="1028"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">For the financial year 2025&ndash;26, 75% of the defence capital acquisition budget has been reserved for domestic procurement. The Finance Minister emphasized the importance of self-reliance, stating that over 5,000 items have now been included in the defence indigenisation list under the government's Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative.</span></p>
<p data-start="1030" data-end="1209"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">India&rsquo;s overall defence production, which was around ₹43,000 crore a decade ago, has now exceeded ₹1.46 lakh crore. Of this, more than ₹32,000 crore comes from the private sector.</span></p>
<p data-start="1211" data-end="1463"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">She also underscored the significance of the &lsquo;Make in India&rsquo; campaign for national security. During Operation Sindoor, the effectiveness of indigenous weapons systems was proven, showcasing India's capability to breach even the toughest enemy defences.</span></p>
<p data-start="1465" data-end="1737"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Sitharaman highlighted key achievements in both national security and foreign policy under the Modi government. Operation Sindoor reportedly neutralized over 100 terrorists through targeted missile strikes on nine terrorist camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.</span></p>
<p data-start="1739" data-end="1912"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">In terms of international humanitarian efforts, India successfully evacuated over 22,500 citizens from war-hit Ukraine and another 3,000 from Sudan during times of conflict.</span></p>
<p data-start="1914" data-end="2114" data-is-last-node="" data-is-only-node=""><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">The Finance Minister also pointed out India&rsquo;s global leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic, where the country supplied over 30 crore vaccine doses to more than 100 nations to help combat the crisis.</span></p>
<p data-start="1914" data-end="2114" data-is-last-node="" data-is-only-node=""><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by the Benefit News editorial team and is published directly from the IANS news feed.</span></p>
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FM Sitharaman highlights India’s rise as a major defence exporter under Modi government

India’s Defence Exports Soar 1,100% in 10 Years

FM Sitharaman highlights India’s rise as a major defence exporter under Modi government

June 10, 2025 | 18:46 IST