The private sector companies involved in manufacturing defence products need to spruce up their afters sales service, particularly in advanced areas, said the Union Minister of State (MoS) for Defence MM Pallam Raju.
“The after sales support our armed forces received on defence
products in forward areas is only by defence PSUs. The private sector needs to work on this,” said Raju.
He was in Kolkata on Saturday to address a conference on defence-industry partnership organised by the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII), being held on the last day of the four-day CII Biz Bridge Expo.
Talking on the sidelines of the conference, the MoS defence pointed out that although he was not complaining against private sector manufacturers. He pointed out that the only reliable supply chain up to the forward areas was the Ordnance Factory Board and other defence PSUs.
“The private sector has to get the mindset to work on their after sales service, as is done with products like automobiles in the civilian market,” Raju said. The MoS said that the defence ministry was ready to help the private manufacturers with logistic support in places like Ladakh and the North East where forward areas are not always accessible by roads, since these products were meant for the armed forces.
The Union minister also pointed out that trade bodies like the CII and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industries (FICCI) should launch a system of accreditation for companies interested in manufacturing products for the armed forces, which were not fly-by-night operators.
“Private-public partnership is the way to move ahead. The private sector must bring in a better environment in the filed of defence production and it will be our job to make it even better,” Raju said.
Responding to the minister’s statement, Mukul Somany, CII regional chairman Mukul Somany said that the matter would be raised at the trade body’s general body for discussion and further workings.