Gujarat is all set to host its first big defence exhibition with the 12th edition of DefExpo, Ministry of Defence, Government of India’s flagship event scheduled in Gandhinagar from March 11 - 13, 2022. Asia's biggest land, naval and internal homeland security systems exhibition was last held in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh and had also been held in New Delhi, Goa and Chennai earlier. 

The exhibition is being held at a time when India is initiating self-reliance in defence manufacturing to position its defence sector as an export oriented one. Earlier this year the government had notified a list of 108 defence items which cannot be imported by armed forces with the curbs coming into effect from December 2021 and is expected to remain for four years until December 2025.

Last year in August, the government had also notified a list of 101 items which will have import restrictions in a move to promote Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan’. The Union Government has set aside ₹70,221 crore this year for defence procurement. Last year, the military had spent more than ₹51,000 crore (about 58 percent of the capital budget) on domestic purchases.