New Delhi, Aug 9 : Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday hailed the public and private sector manufacturers for taking Defence production to an all-time high of Rs 1.50 lakh crore in the Financial Year (FY) 2024-25.

In a congratulatory message on X, the Defence Minister said, 'Under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi, India's Defence production has hit a record high!'

'The annual Defence production has soared to an all-time high figure of Rs 1,50,590 crore in the Financial Year (FY) 2024-25. These numbers indicate a robust 18 per cent growth over the previous fiscal's output of Rs 1.27 lakh crore, and a staggering 90 per cent increase since FY 2019-20, when the figure was Rs 79,071 crore,' said Defence Minister Singh.

He went on to credit the collective effort of the public and private sector for the achievement.

'I commend the collective efforts of the Department of Defence Production and all stakeholders i.e., DPSUs, public sector manufacturers, and the private industry in achieving this landmark. This upward trajectory is a clear indicator of India's strengthening Defence industrial base,' he wrote on X.

Defence Minister Singh's praise comes in the backdrop of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully completing 138 projects during the last three years.

The organisation completed 30 projects between January 1, 2025 till July at a cost of Rs 1,859 crore. The DRDO had completed 60 projects in the 2024 calendar year at a cost of Rs 3,989 crore, according to the Defence Ministry.

Earlier, Minister of State Sanjay Seth said that DRDO, Industry and Academic Institutes are collaborating for carrying out Directed Research and translating research to technology for strengthening the future requirements of national safety and security.

He said that in order to support the engagement of startups, MSMEs and private industry, Long Term Directed Research Policy of industry engagement through academia has been launched.

The policy provides the guidelines for involving the industry in DRDO Industry Academia Centre of Excellence, DIA-COE projects either through Transfer of Technology or for Technology Enhancement by engaging industry as Co-PI (Principal Investigator), he said.

/IANS