By 2026, India's defence exports will reach Rs 40,000 crore: Rajnath Singh

Union minister Rajnath Singh said that India will export defence equipment and materials worth 35,000 to 40,000 crores by 2026.

At an event organized by Symbiosis International University in Pune on 'The role of youth in nation building', the defence minister delivered the Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw memorial lecture.

"First, there should be a sense of self-confidence that we will make India `atmanirbhar' (self-reliant). In 2014, we used to do defence exports of only Rs 900 crore, but since India has adopted Indianization (program), today we are doing the defence export of Rs 15,000 crore to Rs 16,000 crore," he said.

Adding that he was confident that defence sector exports would reach Rs 35,000 to Rs 40,000 crore by 2026, the minister said.

"There is a need to create an eco-system, and more than the eco-system, there is a need to generate self-confidence among ourselves, as with self-confidence, anything is possible," he added.