Neelam Mathews
Feb 4, 2014
Lets face it. FICCI must be doing a good job, having tapped a sizeable number of exhibitors to DefExpo despite the current doom and gloom in the Indian economy.
Looking at the layout of the expo, I am a bit confused to see it so cramped-then realise there's another show on at the same time. The India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO), one fears, is living in a 1920s mindset- make hay while the sun shines. Well its getting kind of chilly now.
Pragati Maidan is dated and cramped. Like to hear it or not, its hey days are over. And to have a defense show with complicated machines that have to be dismantled before being brought in, is a logistics nightmare. This is certainly not a way to encourage international and domestic participants.
The conference room, too is a shame- bad acoustics, no facility for wi-fi-which the world over is provided free- the list can go on. But its the Year of the Monkey and time to start coping with intricacies and issues with a sober mind. We are hearing that this might be the last DefExpo at Pragati Maidan. That is- if the powers that be, let transparency rule.
Meanwhile here are some facts that were addressed by secy defense production-
Feb 4, 2014
Looking at the layout of the expo, I am a bit confused to see it so cramped-then realise there's another show on at the same time. The India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO), one fears, is living in a 1920s mindset- make hay while the sun shines. Well its getting kind of chilly now.
Pragati Maidan is dated and cramped. Like to hear it or not, its hey days are over. And to have a defense show with complicated machines that have to be dismantled before being brought in, is a logistics nightmare. This is certainly not a way to encourage international and domestic participants.
The conference room, too is a shame- bad acoustics, no facility for wi-fi-which the world over is provided free- the list can go on. But its the Year of the Monkey and time to start coping with intricacies and issues with a sober mind. We are hearing that this might be the last DefExpo at Pragati Maidan. That is- if the powers that be, let transparency rule.
Meanwhile here are some facts that were addressed by secy defense production-
624 companies, both foreign and Indian will be taking part -57
more than Defexpo 2012. 368 foreign companies are participating this year v/s 232 in Defexpoin 2012. Indian companies participating this year
are 256 as compared to 335 in Defexpo 2012.
A seminar on "Indigenisation of Defence Procurement:
Global Partnerships Towards Joint Development and Indigenisation" has been planned on 6th and 7th.
The
procedure for undertaking 'Make' projects is under revision to provide more
clarity and to make it more attractive for the industry.
Raksha
Mantri's Production Committee has been constituted for initiating actions for
bridging technology gaps and augmenting indigenous Defence production
capabilities.
Neelam: You hit the nail squarely on the head. Pragati Maidan has that worn-out cheesy look that detracts substantially from its utility.
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