New Delhi, May 29 (KNN) The Indian Ministry of Defence is increasing monitoring and enforcement of export rules for defence equipment manufactured in the country.

This move comes after reports that some Indian-made weapons and military gear have ended up in unauthorised hands abroad.

India's defence manufacturing sector has grown rapidly in recent years, producing arms and equipment for both domestic use and international export markets.

In the last financial year, India's annual defence production value surpassed 1 trillion rupees, with the private sector contributing over 210 billion rupees.

Defence exports from India also hit a new high of 210 billion rupees in 2023-24, driven largely by private companies.

However, the Ukraine-Russia conflict and other global tensions have highlighted instances of weapons proliferating to konflict zones without proper authorisation from originating countries.

To address these concerns, the Indian government plans to establish an internal portal to strictly monitor imports of sensitive materials like explosives by defence manufacturers.

Officials say exports will face heightened scrutiny, with recipient nations required to certify the exported equipment will not be re-transferred to third parties.

"Companies must ensure purchasing countries certify they will not transfer the weapons. No country can send our exports elsewhere due to the present geopolitical situation," a senior defence ministry official stated.

While promoting arms exports, India maintains bans on defence trade with certain nations including Ukraine, Russia, Turkey, China and Pakistan.

(KNN Bureau)