Rajnath Singh reviews DefExpo 2022 preparations

New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh reviewed the preparations for the forthcoming DefExpo 2022 at a meeting in New Delhi on September 27, 2022. During the meeting, the Minister was briefed by officials about the extensive arrangements being made by multiple stakeholders for the event. He expressed satisfaction at the preparations while encouraging the officials to make DefExpo 2022 the best-ever defence exhibition. MoS Defence Ajay Bhatt, Defence Secretary Dr Ajay Kumar and other senior officials of the Ministry of Defence were present in the meeting.​

​"The 12th edition of DefExpo, scheduled to be held in Gandhinagar, Gujarat between October 18-22, 2022, will be the biggest ever as a record 1,136 companies have registered for the event as on September 27, 2022, and the numbers are expected to rise", the defence ministry said in a statement released Tuesday. The event is being planned in the largest ever total area of over one lakh sqm (the previous edition being 76,000 sqm). The theme of the 12th DefExpo is 'Path to Pride' which is in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision to transform India into a strong and self-reliant nation by supporting, showcasing and forging partnerships for the Indian Aerospace and Defence manufacturing sectors with Indian as well as global customers. "The event will showcase the might of the domestic defence industry which is now powering 'Make in India, Make for the World' resolve of the Government and the nation at large.", the statement added.

Defence Secretary reviews preparations for DefExpo 2022

Importantly, the event will be the first-ever edition exclusively for Indian companies. Indian companies, Indian subsidiaries of Foreign OEMs, Division of companies registered in India, and Exhibitor having Joint Venture with an Indian company will be considered as Indian participants. The DefExpo 2022 will also mark the celebration of one year of the formation of the seven new defence companies, carved out of the erstwhile Ordnance Factory Board. All these companies will be participating for the first time at DefExpo.​

The 12th DefExpo will be a five-day exhibition, with October 18-20 being business days and October 21 & 22 for public display. For the first time, the event will be held in a four-venue format. The inaugural ceremony and seminars will be held at Mahatma Mandir Convention and Exhibition Centre; Exhibition at Helipad Exhibition Centre; Live Demonstrations at Sabarmati River Front and ship visits for the public by the Indian Navy & Indian Coast Guard at Porbandar. The biggest-ever drone show by IIT Delhi start-up M/s Botlabs, which is an iDEX winner, has also been organised.

In addition, the exhibition will host the 2nd edition of the India-Africa Defence Dialogue, in which several Defence Ministers from African countries are expected to participate. A separate Indian Ocean Region plus conclave has also been planned.

The India Pavilion – a marque pavilion of the Department of Defence Production, Ministry of Defence – will showcase the maturity of indigenous defence products, start-ups, and the latest technology, including Artificial Intelligence in defence, and will present India's vision for 2047. It has been named 'Path to Pride'. Over 50 start-ups will showcase their products at the pavilion. For the first time, States/Union Territories have been invited to set up pavilions at the event, with several confirming their participation. More than 300 partnerships in terms of MoUs, Transfer of Technology agreements and product launches are being finalised.

In another first, Raksha Mantri Awards for Excellence in Defence Manufacturing will be presented during the DefExpo.

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