Defence minister Rajnath Singh reviewed the annual performance of 16 Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs) in New Delhi on 1 September 2026. During the meeting, Singh along with state defence minister Sanjay Seth, was briefed by secretary (Defence Production) Sanjeev Kumar and the Chairmen and Managing Directors (CMDs) of the DPSUs on their performance, key achievements, and future roadmap. Defence minister reviewed the progress made by the DPSUs in enhancing indigenous production and manufacturing capabilities, development of advanced defence technologies, increasing defence exports, strengthening supply chains and execution of major projects.

In his address, Singh commended the DPSUs for their steadfast contribution to strengthening India’s defence manufacturing ecosystem and advancing the vision of ‘Aatmanirbhar’ Bharat while building a robust defence industrial base ecosystem. He underlined that in 2025-26, India achieved defence production worth approx. Rs 1.8 lakh crore with DPSUs contributing Rs 1.29 lakh crore. He termed the achievement a reflection of the nation’s significant progress towards building an aatmanirbhar defence industrial base.

Singh urged the DPSUs to focus on timely delivery, reducing the import dependency, transforming R&D into technology leadership, enhancing defence exports to newer heights, increasing productivity with their capex expansion, supporting start-ups and MSMEs further and making efforts to achieve quality equivalent to global standards. “The progress of DPSUs is not merely an economic or industrial necessity; it is a national security imperative. Recent global conflicts have demonstrated how crucial assured supply chains, surge capacity, critical spares, rapid repair capabilities, and the ability to sustain production during prolonged conflicts are for any nation,” he said.

While Singh welcomed the increased investment in R&D by DPSUs, he stated that the success of R&D should be measured not just by the amount spent, but by the development of new technologies, intellectual property, prototypes, and operational products. “We must identify niche technology areas where India can become not just self-reliant, but a global leader,” he said.

The defence minister urged the DPSUs to continue focusing on elevating the quality of their products to global standards. “In pursuit of the ‘Make in India, Make for the World’ objective, we must resolve to transform all DPSUs into global giants,” he said.

During the event, the CMDs of seven DPSUs --- Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL), Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL), Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Limited (GRSE), BEML, and MIDHANI --- presented dividend cheques, worth a total of Rs 3,951 crore for the government’s equity shares, to the defence minister for FY 2025-26.

Singh also released four books: Aatmanirbhar DPSU - A journey of DPSUs towards Self-Reliance’ on indigenisation of items, new products to be developed and new processes to be adopted for the next five years; DISHA, an initiative for industries’ interaction with students for the young minds’ hands-on awareness on defence technologies & modern manufacturing processes; Modernisation Roadmap of HAL to transform it into a future-ready aerospace enterprise; and Indigenisation Roadmap of HAL to achieve greater self-reliance in aero & defence sector. The publications highlight the efforts towards self-reliance, indigenisation, innovation and building future-ready defence capabilities.