Private Sector Defence major L&T manufactured K9-Vajra self-propelled howitzer

The private sector industry should be given a level playing field along with public sector units to help the country produce indigenous weapon systems, former IAF chief RKS Bhadauria said on Wednesday. He was addressing the first General Bipin Rawat Memorial Lecture here on the occasion of his birth anniversary.

"General Rawat was a big advocate of self reliance. He would say that in case of war, we will be able to win only through indigenous weapons. He also laid stress that private sector industry should be given a level playing field along with the public sector units to help the country produce indigenous weapon systems for the country," he said in his address.

The former Chief of Air Staff called for defining goals for the country's aim to become self reliant in the defence sector.

"To my mind, the most critical area is to understand what do we really want and what should we aim at and then ultimately be able to define what is required to achieve Atmanirbharta (self reliant).

"I don't think so there will be any one today who will not agree with need and importance of Atmanirbharta but what do we want from Atmanirbharta as far as defence is concerned, is what we need to define. I believe it is the ability to do entire design and development which should be our next phase towards self reliance," he said.

Bhadauria said that lot needs to be done in all areas that are critical in terms of technology and all areas that are niche.

"This is critical as we go forward, the ability to do everything on your own. You have designed an equipment but imported certain products. There should be no chip working without your knowledge. If we have achieved this, we have achieved a huge step of self reliance in equipment and design.

"Be it testing and certification, we need to target what we have to achieve and in testing and certification is important to steer any conflict of interest....we must treat our testing ad certification agencies as national assets," he said.

Gen Rawat, India's first Chief of Defence Staff, his wife and 11 other armed forces personnel died in December after the military helicopter they were travelling in crashed near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu.