Indigenous arms, ammunition used in Operation Sindoor: Ex-DRDO chief

India achieving self-reliance in defence, rare earths, semiconductors: VK Saraswat

Jamshedpur, July 2: Former DRDO chief and NITI Aayog Member Dr. V.K. Saraswat on Wednesday said that barring a few equipment such as S-400 air defence system, a majority of the weapons and missiles — such as Akash and BrahMos — used during Operation Sindoor were manufactured in the country.

Addressing a press conference at CSIR-National Metallurgical Laboratory (NML) Jamshedpur after participating in the fifth Platinum Jubilee Lecture, Dr. Saraswat noted that India is becoming self-reliant in defence, critical minerals, and semiconductor technology. In the last 11 years under the Modi government, India has reversed its defence dependency. “Earlier, 70% of our defence needs were imported. Today, 70% are met through indigenous production,” he said, citing examples like BrahMos, Akash, and anti-aircraft guns used in Operation Sindoor, with the S-400 being one of the few exceptions still imported.

He praised NML’s role in translational research and its pilot plant work with red mud for producing aluminium, iron, lithium, and rare earths in collaboration with NALCO. “We must scale such efforts to reduce dependence on foreign countries, especially in rare earths where geopolitical risks are high,” he said.

Responding to questions on rare earth imports from China, he emphasized the need for cost-effective, high-quality, and large-scale domestic production to be globally competitive. He acknowledged the challenge in matching China’s production scale but said India is focusing on meeting domestic demand first, supported by PLI schemes and subsidies.

On reversing brain drain, Dr. Saraswat said India is witnessing growing reverse migration of talent. “We can’t stop students from going abroad, but we can offer strong ecosystems, good education, competitive pay, and cutting-edge research opportunities,” he said. The government has allocated ₹1 lakh crore to boost private sector R&D, which he believes will attract global talent back.

Touching on semiconductors, he revealed India has invested ₹1.6 lakh crore in the sector and set up foundries in Gujarat and Assam. Indigenous processors like Shakti and Ajit have been developed, and a full ecosystem for chip production is expected in the next 5–10 years.

Regarding lithium, Saraswat acknowledged India’s lower ore grades but emphasized the need for process innovations to extract metals cost-effectively. “We can’t change our natural resources, but we must develop technology suited to what we have,” he stated.

Addressing Jharkhand’s challenges, he called for balanced policy that protects forests while allowing sustainable mining. “Development and environment must go hand-in-hand. This is the era of sustainable development,” he said.

Dr. Saraswat also spoke on India’s progress in innovation. “India’s Global Innovation Index rank has improved from 80 in 2014 to 49 today. We now have 117 unicorns and over 1 lakh start-ups,” he said, adding that the focus remains on inclusive growth, particularly in tribal areas like Jharkhand.

On Operation Sindoor, he asserted that India’s defence capabilities are now strong enough to deal with regional threats. “We caused 10 times more damage to the adversary, with minimal civilian or military losses on our side,” he concluded.