India’s defence exports surge 1100 percent in decade: FM

New Delhi

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday said India’s defence exports have grown by an impressive 1,100 percent over the last ten years under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership. Defence exports rose from ₹1,941 crore in 2014 to a record ₹23,662 crore in 2024. India now sells military equipment to over 100 countries, she added.

The Finance Minister also noted that 75 percent of the defence capital acquisition budget for 2025-26 will be spent on domestically produced items. This is part of the government’s push for self-reliance, known as the Aatmanirbharta campaign. More than 5,000 items have been added to the defence indigenisation list to boost local manufacturing.

India’s defence production has grown rapidly, increasing from ₹43,000 crore about a decade ago to ₹1,46,000 crore today. The private sector now contributes over ₹32,000 crore. Sitharaman praised the Make-in-India initiative, which played a key role during Operation Sindoor, where Indian forces successfully used indigenous weapons to target terrorist bases in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

She also highlighted India’s foreign policy and national security successes. This includes evacuating over 22,500 Indians from Ukraine during the conflict and bringing back 3,000 from war-hit Sudan. Sitharaman added that during the Covid-19 pandemic, India supplied over 30 crore vaccine doses to more than 100 countries, helping to fight the global health crisis.

The Finance Minister’s remarks reflect India’s growing strength in defence manufacturing and its increasing role as a reliable global partner in security and humanitarian efforts.