Defense expert Brigadier Hemant Mahajan (retired) while talking to news agency IANS said that in the last few years, India has made significant progress in the field of defense production and exports. He said that compared to 2014, the country's defense production has increased almost five times, while defense exports to friendly and neighboring countries have increased by almost 50 times.
He further said that increasing the production of defense equipment domestically will strengthen India's strategic capabilities and reduce dependence on foreign suppliers.
Mahajan told IANS, “A self-reliant defense sector not only brings economic benefits but is also extremely important from the national security point of view. By increasing indigenous technology and manufacturing capacity, India can strengthen its presence in the global defense market and avoid dependence on outside countries in emergency situations.”
At the same time, Aditya Sesh, a chartered accountant associated with the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, while talking to IANS, said that the free trade agreements made by India in recent years can create new export opportunities for agricultural products, especially for millets (coarse grains). He said that millets like bajra, jowar and ragi can be grown in less water, have long shelf life and are also highly beneficial from nutritional point of view.
Sesh further said that the demand for millets is not limited to India only, but there is huge potential for them in international markets also. He said, “Millets can be used not only within the country but can also be exported. Millets can be used in many types of cereal bars and health products that are imported today.”
He said that the effect of increasing popularity of millets is also visible in the market and this year their prices have seen an increase of about 15 to 25 percent.
Describing Maharashtra as an important center of India's agricultural growth, Aditya Sesh said that the diverse agro-climatic conditions of the state give it a special edge in the production of food grains, fruits and vegetables. He said initiatives like Geographical Indication (GI) tag and One District One Product (ODOP) can help farmers get better prices for their products.
On the subject of energy security, he said that India will have to develop diverse sources of energy to meet future challenges. According to him, relying on a single energy source could be risky in an era of global supply constraints and geopolitical tensions.
Supporting the promotion of ethanol blended fuel (E20), Sesh said that along with this, India should also increase investment in the fields of solar energy, wind energy, hydrogen energy and nuclear energy. He believes that a diverse energy portfolio will make the country stronger and self-reliant.
He said that in the current global scenario almost every commodity and resource can be used as a strategic weapon. In such a situation, India will have to ensure that external disruptions do not affect its sovereignty, economic stability and national security.
Meanwhile, local traders of Raigarh, Chhattisgarh welcomed the 'Saptdhara' announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as an important roadmap for the country's economy. Traders said the government's focus on seven key sectors could create new opportunities for business, investment and employment in the coming years.
Raigarh-based textile businessman Vijay Chhabra, while speaking to IANS, said that under Saptadhara, special attention has been given to areas like manufacturing, agriculture and food processing, technology and AI, speed power, defense and civil defense, green-blue economy and soft power of India. By strengthening manufacturing and local value chains, investment in the country will increase and small and big traders and industries will get new opportunities.
Another businessman Ravi Katare said that if the government takes effective steps towards providing raw materials to the industries at cheaper rates, then the production cost will reduce, which will benefit the traders as well as the common customers and the goods will be available to them at relatively lower prices.
Another businessman Vijay Aggarwal told IANS that the business is going through many challenges since the Corona epidemic. Due to continuous increase in the prices of various goods, costs have increased, which has a direct impact on the market and customer purchases. In such a situation, the efforts being made under the new industrial policy and Saptadhara can play an important role in reviving the business.
Along with this, another local businessman Omkar Singh Bagga said that if these schemes are implemented rapidly at the grassroots level and necessary facilities and cheap raw materials are provided to the industries, then the next 5 to 7 years can prove to be very important for the economic progress of India. This is expected to accelerate production, investment, employment and business opportunities in the country.