Despite undisputed world-class talent yet India has not been the manufacturing hub of the world, paternalistic attitude and the tepid response of the past, are the obvious reasons. Within months of taking the oath, PM Modi visualised, conceptualised and rolled out the project ‘Make in India’, to give impetus to manufacturing in India. Subsequently, all policy decisions were modified to facilitate investment, encourage innovation, upgrade skill development, protect our intellectual property and build the best infrastructure. With years of sustained efforts, guidance and support, the results are now for everyone to see, uppity of India is widely noticed now.

Stymieing technology transfer to India has backfired for the exporting countries as now we belong to the elite club of satellite launching nations, the best and cheapest among all, a nuclear nation with self-developed surface-to-surface, surface-to-air, air to air and air-to-surface and underwater launched indigenous missiles capable of striking any part of the world, some even nuclear-capable, a major deterrent and security asset.

Our indigenous TEJAS is now sort after fighter aircraft, and research is on to develop stealth aircraft. In all these efforts one company has played an important role, the ‘MIDHANI’, providing bulletproof shields to aircraft, helicopters, ships, space crafts, bulletproof trucks, and bunkers and now developing lightweight bulletproof jackets and headgear. A single company MIDHANI has saved millions of dollars of precious foreign exchange, the security cover they are providing to our VVIPs, army soldiers and other security agencies is beyond comprehension.

The moment our Jawans are in bulletproof armoured vehicles, their combat capability increases manifold, overall this helps in reducing collateral damages on our side. Jammu and Kashmir Police is also a direct beneficiary of these innovations as two dozen bulletproof vehicles are in use and many more ordered. We will also be receiving bulletproof jackets and headgear, tested and highly rated equipment as supplied to Indian Army. All these inclusions will make the operations of the Jammu and Kashmir Police more secure, of course, a major deterrent in the fight against terrorism. Jammu and Kashmir can also use this technology of MIDHANI to have bulletproof cabins on the highways, and permanent check posts, all along the highway from Lakhanpur to Kashmir as time and again our security agencies had ‘chance encounters’ which are too risky for our men in uniform.

On an open highway, there is no place to hide from the heavy abrupt fire from terrorists. Thanks to the Make in India initiative, all these technologies are readily available and cost-effectiveness has made it possible for even police to get ultra-modern bulletproof security cover for Jawans also, unheard of in the past, a few imported and indigenous were tried but were not up to the mark. Life and death cannot be risked by using hit-and-trial methods after all. MIDHANI has already mastered the art of reverse engineering of fighter jet engines of Jaguar and our own ‘Made in India’ in India engines are far better than the original ones, a fact that will go a long way in our efforts to indigenously develop world-class fighter jets, billions of dollars can be saved.

There is no dearth of manpower in India, another flagship program of India, Skill Development, is helping establish big technological industries, lakhs of jobs created and of course, millions of dollars saved. The sustained focus is on developing world-class infra for the best facilities to foreign investors ready to transfer technology to India, the defence sector being the prime industry of immense importance. All these developments are apt replies to the critics who carried out grumbling campaigns, time and again remonstrated, sputtering just for the sake of opposition but the way things have shaped and are poised every Indian is proud of achievements as progress made on the technology front is momentous. Block by block we are striving towards self-reliance, despite many hiccups and bottlenecks, India is unstoppable now.