The Ministry of Defence has inked a deal with ACE and JCB India for procurement of quantity 1868 Rough Terrain Fork Lift Truck (RTFLT), said the ministry in a statement. This procurement would be done at a total cost of Rs 697.35 crore.
"The present case being a Buy (Indian) case will enhance national defence equipment manufacturing capabilities. This project has immense potential of direct and indirect employment generation by encouraging MSME sector through component’s manufacturing," stated the ministry.
Rough Terrain Fork Lift Truck (RTFLT) is a critical equipment that will assist in various combat and logistics support tasks by avoiding manual handling of an enormous number of stores and thus enhancing the operational effectiveness of the Indian Army, Indian Air Force and Indian Navy.
Self-Reliance in India's Defence Industry
The ministry stated that the procurement marks a pivotal step towards modernising India's defence infrastructure and empowering indigenous industries, which will be a proud flag-bearer of 'Aatmnirbhar Bharat'.
Several other policy measures and reforms were also introduced by the government earlier to foster indigenous design, development and production of defence equipment, boosting self-reliance in defence manufacturing.
According to a PIB report, India's defence exports have reached an all-time high, surging from Rs 686 crore in FY 2013-14 to Rs 21,083 crore in FY 2023-24, reflecting a remarkable increase of over 30 times in export value over the past decade.
Around 65% of defence equipment is now manufactured within India. Notably, 21% of this production comes from the private sector. India's defence industrial base comprises 16 Defence Public Sector Units (DPSUs), over 430 licensed companies, and approximately 16,000 Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).
Currently, India's exports cover more than 100 nations. The top three nations for defence exports in 2023-24 are the USA, France and Armenia. According to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, the target is to further increase defence exports to Rs 50,000 crore by 2029.
