Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday reviewed the annual performance of 16 Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs) in New Delhi, assessing their progress in strengthening indigenous production and manufacturing capabilities, developing advanced defence technologies, increasing defence exports, strengthening supply chains and executing major projects.
During the review meeting, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, along with Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth, was briefed by Secretary (Defence Production) Sanjeev Kumar and the Chairmen and Managing Directors (CMDs) of the DPSUs on their performance, key achievements and future roadmap.
Rajnath Singh commended the DPSUs for their steadfast contribution to strengthening India’s defence manufacturing ecosystem and advancing the vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat while building a robust defence industrial base, said a press release from the Ministry of Defence.
He stated that all 16 DPSUs are showing their achievement in multi sectors and congratulated the organisations for their continued dedication and excellence. He highlighted that India achieved defence production worth approximately Rs 1.8 lakh crore in 2025-26, with DPSUs contributing Rs 1.29 lakh crore. He termed the achievement a reflection of the nation’s significant progress towards building an Aatmanirbhar defence industrial base.
The Defence Minister urged the DPSUs to focus on timely delivery, reducing import dependency, transforming research and development into technology leadership, taking defence exports to new heights, increasing productivity through capex expansion, providing greater support to start-ups and MSMEs, and achieving quality standards equivalent to those prevailing globally.
“The progress of DPSUs is not merely an economic or industrial necessity; it is a national security imperative. Recent global conflicts have demonstrated how crucial assured supply chains, surge capacity, critical spares, rapid repair capabilities, and the ability to sustain production during prolonged conflicts are for any nation,” said Rajnath Singh.
While welcoming increased investment in R&D by DPSUs, Singh emphasised that the success of research and development should be measured not merely by expenditure but by the development of new technologies, intellectual property, prototypes and operational products.
“We must identify niche technology areas where India can become not just self-reliant, but a global leader,” he said.
The Defence Minister also called upon the DPSUs to continue their efforts to elevate the quality of their products to global standards. Stressing the objective of ‘Make in India, Make for the World’, he said, “In pursuit of the ‘Make in India, Make for the World’ objective, we must resolve to transform all DPSUs into global giants.”
During the event, the CMDs of seven DPSUs — Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL), Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL), Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Limited (GRSE), BEML and MIDHANI — presented dividend cheques totalling Rs 3,951 crore for the Government’s equity shares to the Defence Minister for FY 2025-26.
On the occasion, Rajnath Singh released four books highlighting the efforts of DPSUs towards self-reliance, indigenisation, innovation and building future-ready defence capabilities.
The publications included ‘Aatmanirbhar DPSU – A journey of DPSUs towards Self-Reliance’, which focuses on the indigenisation of items, new products to be developed and new processes to be adopted over the next five years.
The second publication, DISHA, is an initiative aimed at facilitating interaction between industries and students, providing young minds with hands-on awareness of defence technologies and modern manufacturing processes.
The other two books focus on Hindustan Aeronautics Limited — ‘Modernisation Roadmap of HAL to transform it into a future-ready aerospace enterprise’ and ‘Indigenisation Roadmap of HAL to achieve greater self-reliance in aero & defence sector’.
The publications underline the ongoing efforts to promote self-reliance, indigenisation and innovation while strengthening India’s future-ready defence capabilities.
-PIB inputs
