SES facilitates an interactive platform for defence equipment stakeholders including MSMEs: ELCINA

Bengaluru, July 1 (KNN) Focusing on the significant role played by MSMEs in Defence equipment manufacturing and maintenance, ELCINA (Electronic Industries Association of India) will be organizing Strategic Electronics Summit (SES) here on July 7-8. The event would be inaugurated by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar.

ELCINA has been offering a platform named SES since 2010 for creating awareness about the opportunities in the defence sector.

SES being an annual event dedicated to highlight the new defence production and offset policies will be organized by ELCINA along with Cyient and other key industry players such as BEL, HAL, C-DOT and Centum Electronics.

The two day event would be held on July 7-8, 2016 at the Bangalore International Exhibition Centre (BIEC).

The removal of the 49 per cent FDI limit in the defence sector has opened up avenues for significant investments and has given the much required impetus for many SMEs to have access to finance and technology. Already large corporates, including Tata Power, L&T, Reliance Defence and Cyient, have lined up significant investments in the sector following FDI removal.

Talking to KNN, Ashish Saurikhia, Coordinator, Policy at ELCINA said,”SMEs have always been a major focus of SES because of the role they play in dealing with the defence equipment manufacturing and handling its obsolescence through consistent repair and other maintenance services”.

“Indian MSMEs have been hugely contributing to the manufacturing of tailor made customized components like sensors, cameras etc for even Russian aircrafts like MIG Aircraft for which even the Russian companies and assembly lines have proved to be obsolete and unviable for providing consistent repair and maintenance services. Indian MSMEs are the ones contributing to counter this obsolescence in every possible way,” the expert opined.

Although the ultimate goal is to make India a global defence manufacturer and exporter, the present need is to achieve a higher degree of self-reliance. Therefore, it is imperative that the government should ensure that the domestic manufacturers find strategic partners for acquiring greater expertise and capabilities.

Bringing national and international manufacturers together and giving them a common platform as is rightly done by ELCINA through SES is a step in this direction.

Along with Raksha Mantri, SES would also be attended by Dr. Ajay Kumar, Additional Secretary, DeitY, Dr. G Sateesh Reddy, SA to Raksha Mantri, CMD, HAL and BEL. (KNN/ GK)