A nation that manufactures its own weaponry writes its own destiny: Raksha Mantri

📌 Summary:

• Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh and Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis inaugurated a private-sector Defence Manufacturing Complex of the NIBE Group at Shirdi on 23 May 2026

• India's first 300 km Universal Rocket Launching System, 'Suryastra', was flagged off; the foundation stone for a missile complex was laid, and indigenous TNT Plant, RDX Plant and Compressed Biogas Plant technologies were unveiled

• An MoU was exchanged between NIBE Group and Black Sky in the field of satellite assembly

• Rajnath Singh said the outcome of future wars will be determined by advances in munitions and automation rather than the size of forces, citing the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the West Asia situation and India's Operation Sindoor

• The private sector's share in defence production has risen to about 25-30%, with a target of 50% in coming years; defence production, earlier confined to PSUs and Ordnance factories, was opened to the private sector

• Policy enablers cited include liberalised FDI norms, the Strategic Partnership Model, Positive Indigenisation Lists, and schemes such as iDEX, ADITI and the Technology Development Fund (TDF)

• He stressed that 'Aatmanirbharta' in defence is essential not only for war but for peace, development and economic resilience, warning against the weaponisation of trade, supply chains and rare earth minerals; technology must augment soldiers, with the final decision remaining in human hands

🎯 UPSC Relevance: GS3 (Science & Technology / Defence) — indigenisation of defence production, self-reliance (Aatmanirbhar Bharat) in critical technologies, and private-sector participation in defence.

📝 Prelims Facts:

• 'Suryastra' is India's first 300 km Universal Rocket Launching System, flagged off at Shirdi, Maharashtra

• The private sector's share in defence production is about 25-30%, with a target of 50%

• Defence indigenisation schemes cited: iDEX, ADITI and the Technology Development Fund (TDF)

🔑 Key Term: Positive Indigenisation List — a list of defence items notified by the Ministry of Defence that can only be procured from domestic manufacturers, with their import banned beyond set timelines.