In a recent episode of Newsance, Newslaundry’s satirical podcast hosted by Manisha Pande, India’s significant progress in indigenous ammunition production was mocked and downplayed as “sirf goliyaan” (“just bullets”). While critiquing media coverage of Operation Sindoor and India’s defence exports, Pande dismissed the achievement of 88% self-reliance in ammunition, exposing more about the outlet’s ideological bias than about the actual data or strategic importance of the milestone.

Can you believe?

Newslaundry mocks India’s self reliance in ammunition as “sirf goliyaan”

India’s self reliance in ammunition

2014: 32%

2024: 88%

If it was so easy to make “sirf goliyaan” … why couldn’t this be done before 2014?

Have you forgotten 2012 when India had… pic.twitter.com/AuHQugJiSr

— Abhishek (@AbhishBanerj) July 28, 2025

When Satire Becomes Intellectual Laziness

Pande rightly calls out inflated claims of Indian weapons being sold “everywhere,” and flags misleading equivalence between expressions of “interest” and signed defence deals. But she crosses a line when she sneers at the indigenisation of ammunition, equating it with propaganda. If Newslaundry wants to mock the government’s chest-thumping over minor wins, that’s fair game. But belittling a genuine course-correction in defence preparedness, especially in a country that once had to ration ammunition, is not satire. It’s strategic amnesia.

“Sirf Goliyaan”? Please, Recall How India Was Pre-2014

A little over a decade ago, the situation was dire. In 2012, media reports and official audits revealed that India had just four to ten days of critical ammunition stock for several key types, raising alarm bells about national security vulnerability. Reports from that period highlighted how the Indian Army could barely sustain artillery fire beyond a few days in a major conflict.

This position did not arise due to lack of easy fixes: it reflected decades of over-reliance on imports, bureaucratic delays, sluggish manufacturing, and policy inertia.

Turning the situation around was anything but “easy.” Through focused policy changes and major investment, India raised its self-reliance in ammunition production from just 32% in 2014 to a remarkable 88% by 2024. This wasn’t a bureaucratic checkbox, but a hard-won strategic transformation involving technology transfer, defence public sector reforms, and a clear-eyed recognition of past vulnerability.

Why Does Defence/Ammunition Atmanirbharta Matter?

Ammunition is the foundation of military power: without adequate shells, bombs, and bullets, the most advanced tanks or aircraft are rendered useless. India’s long-standing vulnerability having to wait for imports in a conflict posed a grave risk to security. Eliminating that weakness is no small feat.

If it was so “easy” to make “just bullets,” why did India languish at 32% self-reliance for decades? The jump to 88% didn’t happen overnight or by accident; it required determination, investment, and reform at every level. Newslaundry’s casual dismissal fails to recognize the strategic autonomy gained, the confidence boost to India’s armed forces and the savings of foreign exchange and growth of skill and capacity in India’s defence sector.

Yes, it’s true that India is not yet fully self-reliant in complex weapons. Honest coverage should make a clear distinction between ammunition (bullets, shells, bombs) and major weapons platforms (tanks, aircraft, artillery) and also acknowledge the extraordinary progress where it has happened.

Defence Exports Are Rising Too

As India’s defence industry matures, there’s been a dramatic surge in exports: from just ₹686 crore in 2013-14 to over ₹23,000 crore in 2024-25. This isn’t proof of “world domination,” but it does mark the maturing of India’s manufacturing and export capabilities

While India’s defence exports are still growing (currently 0.2% of global share), the surge in interest from nations like Vietnam, Philippines, and Indonesia for systems like Brahmos is undeniable. Mocking this progress, while ignoring how far India has come, reeks of bias and hypocrisy.

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Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Wednesday said that the country is realising the vision Atmanirbhar Bharat under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Sonowal attended the meeting on the Final Master Plan of Dibrugarh – Vision 2045 – by the Dibrugarh Development Authority (DDA) here today.

He said on the occasion: “Under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji, India is moving swiftly towards realising the vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat by 2047. Dibrugarh, rich with tremendous potential for economic development, is also working towards becoming a modern, self-sufficient and sustainable urban centre of growth with elevated quality of living.” He said that that Dibrugarh has a rich legacy, it has a rich history, one that needs to be taken into account while we move ahead to reclaim it and build it on the premises of sustainable development. In the future, the premises of the city are likely to reach 391 square kilometres, which will also include water bodies, including rivers.

“Our planning should be meticulous to the point that such gifts of mother nature is respected as we must take all possible steps to protect the environment. The master plan of Dibrugarh should take this aspect into account while working out solutions to ensure sustainable development,” he added. Sonowal stated: “Our city is a beautiful urban dwelling and we must take measures to arrest any possibility of artificial flooding. It is most important that scientific measures must be applied for swift disbursal of any flooding.”

He added that the mother nature has blessed us with a natural bounty and we must take steps to preserve it for our future generations. “Many steps initiated by the Modi government like ‘Waste to Wealth’ or ‘Waste to Energy’ must be roped in to nip the pollution in the bud,” he said. He further said, “Our effort, through this meeting here today, is an attempt to build an argument for a greener, healthier and happier Dibrugarh.”

–IANS

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The Indian Army and the Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers (SIDM) signed an MoU on 21 January to provide further impetus to indigenisation under the ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ vision and to achieve strategic independence by reducing dependence on foreign origin equipment. The MoU also marks twenty five years of army-industry partnership with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). While army-industry collaboration started in 1995 with the indigenisation of spares, it has now progressed to major defence platforms and a wide range of weapons and equipment.

Increasing security challenges due to India’s rising stature in the international community, unresolved borders and revisionist adversaries require continuous and concerted capability-building of the Army through modernisation. The Army seeks to do this by equipping itself with indigenously built equipment. In order to optimise capability-building and contact with the industry, Indian Army has reorganised itself by aligning both the revenue and capital routes of procurement under the Deputy Chief of Army Staff (Capability Development & Sustenance). Army Design Bureau (ADB) has been established to act as a direct facilitator with the industry and thereby connect the defence manufacturers directly with the user. These changes have resulted in collaborative engagements between the technology provider, the equipment manufacturer and the user.

Speaking at the seminar, the Army Chief said “India is now a rising regional global power in Asia, more particularly in South Asia. As we rise in our stature and influence, we will face increasingly higher security challenges.”

The Government has also brought in the necessary policy changes to support indigenisation and achieve self-reliance in the defence sector. Industry associations have provided a common platform for industry leaders to interact with the Indian Army to showcase their expertise. The inputs of the defence industry go a long way in effecting policy modulation and changes.

(Published from PIB)

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The Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) on January 6 signed a MoU with the Indo-Tibetan Border Police for the supply of 1.72 lakh cotton durries worth ₹8.74 crore every year. The agreement was signed by Deputy CEO KVIC and DIG, ITBP, in presence of KVIC Chairman Vinai Kumar Saxena and Additional Secretary (Home) Vivek Bhardwaj and other officials of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs). The agreement has been signed for one year and will be renewed over the subsequent years.

The development comes in the wake of Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s instructions to the paramilitary forces to encourage local products in a bid to support the “Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan” initiated by PM Narendra Modi. Union Minister for MSME, Shri Nitin Gadkari welcomed the move.

As per the specifications of the MoU, KVIC will provide blue-colour durries of 1.98 m length and 1.07 m width. The cotton durries will be produced by Khadi artisans in Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab. The next products in the pipeline are Khadi blankets, bedsheets, pillow-covers, pickles, honey, papad and cosmetics, etc.

The KVIC Chairman hailed the agreement as a “historic” development and said that this would not only encourage the use of Swadeshi products in our forces but also create large-scale additional employment for Khadi artisans. “Providing best quality products to our jawans and timely delivery of consignment will be the top priority of KVIC. The purchase orders from the CAPFs is also a matter of pride for Khadi artisans who are serving country’s jawans in their own ways,” Saxena said.

KVIC developed the cotton durries as per the samples provided by ITBP. The cotton durries prepared by KVIC have also been certified by Northern India Textile Research Association (NITRA), a unit of the Textile Ministry recognized by the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research.

Earlier, on July 31 last year, KVIC had signed an agreement with ITBP for supplying Kacchi Ghani mustard oil, the consignments of which have been successfully supplied. The ITBP is the nodal agency appointed by MHA for the procurement of provisions on behalf of all paramilitary forces.

(Published from PIB)

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The Ministry of Commerce and Industry and the Ministry of AYUSH have decided to work together to set up an Export Promotion Council to boost AYUSH exports. The decision was taken recently in a joint review of AYUSH trade and industry by Shri Piyush Goyal, Minister of Commerce and Industry and Shri Shripad Naik, Minister of AYUSH.

It was also decided in the review that the entire AYUSH sector will work together to achieve price and quality competitiveness to boost AYUSH exports. The review was held through video conference on 4^th December 2020, which was attended by nearly 50 industry and trade leaders from the AYUSH Sector. More than 2000 stake-holders of the AYUSH Sector also attended the e-event through live streaming on virtual platforms.

Secretary AYUSH initiated the discussions with a presentation on the action taken on the recommendations of the previous meeting by the Ministry of AYUSH. He also briefed about the various other initiatives taken by the Ministry of AYUSH to mitigate the COVID19 situation and to promote AYUSH industry. He spoke about the emerging opportunities for promotion of AYUSH sector and listed a few hurdles that deserved attention.

In the open forum that followed, officials from Ministry of Commerce and Industry, RIS, BIS and Invest India and AYUSH industry representatives shared their thoughts. The efforts put in by the Ministry of AYUSH to take AYUSH- based solutions to the public in the wake of COVID19 came in praise from all.

Minister Shripad Naik highlighted the growing global interest in AYUSH- based solutions for disease resistance and treatment during the difficult times of the Covid -19 pandemic. He stated that trade and commerce in the AYUSH Sector needed to upscale quickly in order to meet the growing demands from India and abroad, and to serve the larger number of people who are now looking up to these systems for maintaining their health. He also recollected various steps taken by the Ministry during the pandemic to add protection to the people from the dreaded Corona virus. He told the participants that the AYUSH immunity protocols and the National Clinical Management Protocol for Covid 19 for Ayurveda and Yoga were timely interventions which provided relief to large sections of the population. The emerging evidence of a correlation between the low Covid -19 mortality rates and largescale adoption of AYUSH prophylactic solutions by the population is significant for the public health practice in the country.

Minister Piyush Goyal, praised the frontline role played by the AYUSH Sector in  the fight against Covid -19. The protection offered by the AYUSH systems to the common people during the pandemic time neutralised the scepticism that many people had about the efficacy of the medicines and products offered by these systems. The spurt in exports of AYUSH products in the recent months is a direct reflection of their growing popularity in many countries. The standardisation of the HS codes related to export will be considered on priority as a step to promote exports. He called upon the AYUSH Ministry to work in coordination with the Commerce and Finance Ministries to achieve this early. The Commerce Minister also advised the industry leaders to work simultaneously on the quality and pricing of their products, so that they become increasingly competitive in the global market. He supported the concept of an AYUSH Export Promotion Council and said that the Commerce Ministry would be happy to support the same. The continued support of Commerce Ministry would be available to the AYUSH Sector on all matters of trade promotion, and special meetings with the functionaries of the Ministry would be arranged as and when required, to discuss any important issue. Evolving appropriate standards which could win international recognition was another advice from the Commerce Minister. He also assured that AYUSH will figure appropriately in the “Brand India” activities being presently undertaken. He underlined the need for the industry and the Government to work together in various aspects of branding and promotion.

From the meeting it was decided that, Ministry of AYUSH and Ministry of Commerce and Industry will work together for establishing an AYUSH Export Promotion Council (AEPC). The proposed AEPC can be housed at Ministry of AYUSH and the standardisation of HS code for AYUSH will be expedited.

Ministry of AYUSH will also work in collaboration with Bureau of Indian standards to develop international standards for AYUSH products as well as services. Ministry of AYUSH and the AYUSH industry will identify best practices/ success stories and promote them amongst the public.

AYUSH industry will work on ensuring quality and standards of AYUSH products as well as to become price-competitive and will be part of Brand India activities.

(Published from PIB)

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Union Minister for Micro Small and Medium Enterprises Nitin Gadkari has approved a unique employment generation program proposed by Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC). Named the “Khadi Agarbati Atmanirbhar Mission” (KAAM), the project aims to create employment for unemployed and non-resident workers of different states in various parts of the country, while at the same time significantly increasing domestic Agarbatti production.

The project was submitted to the Ministry of Small and Medium Enterprises for approval last month and is set to be launched soon. When the project is fully implemented, thousands of jobs will be created in the Agarbatti industry.

KAAM will be implemented in the public-private partnership model. The KVIC will provide a subsidy of 25% on the cost of the machinery, and the remaining 75% of the price will be collected from the artisans in easy instalments every month. The business partner will provide the raw material for the artisans to make the Agarbatti and pay them based on the work. Each automatic Agarbatti making machine produces about 80 kg Agarbatti per day, which provides direct employment to 4 persons. A powder mixing machine is to be provided in a package of 5 Agarbatti making machines, which will employ two persons.

Under the KAAM scheme, wages of the artisans would be provided by the business partners on a weekly basis directly in their accounts through DBT only. The supply of raw material to the artisans, logistics, quality control and marketing of the final product will be the sole responsibility of the business partner.

The ownership of the machines will automatically be transferred to the artisans after recovery of the 75% cost. For this, a two-party agreement will be signed between KVIC and the Private Agarbatti manufacturer.

The announcement of KAAM scheme comes in the wake of the Central government’s decisions to restrict the import of Raw Agarbatti and increase the import duty on Bamboo sticks.

At present, the total daily consumption of Agarbatti in the country is approximately 1490 MT per day. However, currently, India produces just 760 MT of Agarbatti daily.

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In the wake of the coronavirus lockdown, the Central Government has announced an economic recovery policy to help various sectors and announced assistance programs worth 20.97 lakh crore. From time to time, it had announced financial assistance to a number of departmental employees and companies under these schemes. Under one of the schemes, the government has provided loans at subsidized rates to Kisan Credit Card holders, farmers, ranchers and fishermen. It was announced that ₹ 20 lakh crores in subsidized interest would be lent to 2.5 crore farmers, fishermen and livestock farmers through Kisan Credit Cards in the ₹ 20 trillion Economic Recovery Relief Fund.

According to the announcement, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has posted on her Twitter page that 2 89,810 crores have been lent at interest to 1.2 crore Kisan cardholders. This measure has been taken to facilitate the sowing for the Kharif season, and related agricultural activities.

Nirmala Seetharaman, the Union Finance Minister, tweeted about this, saying, “As on 24.07.2020, 111.98 lakh Kisan Credit Cards have been sanctioned with a credit limit of Rs 89,810 crore out of Rs 2 lakh crore concessional credit under the #AatmanirbharBharat package. This will benefit 2.5 crore farmers, including fishermen & dairy farmers.“

As on 24.07.2020, 111.98 lakh Kisan Credit Cards have been sanctioned with credit limit of Rs 89,810 crore out of Rs 2 lakh crore concessional credit under the #AatmanirbharBharat package. This will benefit 2.5 crore farmers, including fishermen & dairy farmers.

— Nirmala Sitharaman Office (@nsitharamanoffc) July 27, 2020

Kisan Credit Card (KCC) is a very important scheme for small farmers. Through this, loans worth Rs 1.6 lakh are being given to farmers without any guarantee. At the same time, farmers can take loans up to Rs 5 lakh through this in 3 years. The interest rate in this card is also very low at 4% per annum.

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The Railway Ministry is set to bring a new clause to promote local vendors in the procurement process to elevate the government’s vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India).

The Railway Ministry is being supported by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) to make suitable policy revisions if needed. 

The statement stated that there was emphasis to increase the involvement of local vendors to promote the mission of  Make in India. 

“Local content clause in the procurement should be such that we may get more bids from local vendors/suppliers. This would also give a boost to mission Atmanirbhar Bharat,” the statement said.

The steps to promote this mission were reviewed by Minister of Railways Piyush Goyal. 

In the review meeting, he pressed to take measures that aim to generate confidence in the Indian Railway industry, which will ultimately be free from corruption and has a transparent procurement surrounding. 

The statement suggested that a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section should be created with a helpline number so that vendors can get the queries clarified on issues related to the procurement process.

“It was felt that encouragement needs to be given to such vendors who can supply higher locally manufactured content,” it added. 

Source: PTI 

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A research team from IIT Kharagpur have developed a unique portable, low-cost rapid test kit for diagnosing coronavirus infection. This kit is to be priced at ₹400 per test and would give the test results in less that one hour as reported by ZeeNews. The complete analysis can be conducted on this device, with the results displayed on an app downloadable on smartphones.

This new technology can detect viral genomic RNA in an ultra-low-cost portable enclosure as an alternative to highly expensive RT-PCR machine. The technology essentially deploys a simple disposable paper-strip for chemical analysis and visualization of results.

“The same portable unit can be used for a large number of tests, on mere replacement of the paper cartridge after each test,” said IIT Kharagpur.

The kit has been developed by a research team led by IIT Kharagpur professors Suman Chakraborty and Dr Arindam Mondal. It was then validated to produce results in a short span. The institute’s Director tweeted about this, saying, “This unique innovation is aligned with the Institutional vision to develop high-end healthcare technologies that can be afforded by the ailing common people all around the globe at virtually no cost, and is likely to make a significant breakthrough in global viral pandemic management.”

This new test relatively reduces the time taken for the test results to be produced. It is said to have the capability of detecting unforeseen viral pandemics in the coming years that may potentially endanger human lives time and again.

@IITKgp has innovated a #COVID19 testing device which has successfully validated RT PCR test results. This portable technology costing ₹2000 will enable viral tests for ₹400. @HRDMinistry @DrRPNishank @SanjayDhotreMP @PMOIndia @MoHFW_INDIA
Video: https://t.co/Xrixw5NFdl

— Virendra K Tewari (@tewari_virendra) July 25, 2020

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The Kakrapar Power Plant in Gujarat has achieved its full criticality. This means that the power plant of capacity 400 Mega Watt can start functioning now, as reported by The Hindu.

Speaking about this, Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the scientists and engineers, who were responsible for commissioning and bringing it to operation.

He also applauded it for making the ‘Make in India’ campaign’ a reality. His tweet read, “Congratulations to our nuclear scientists for achieving criticality of Kakrapar Atomic Power Plant-3. This indigenously designed 700 MWe KAPP-3 reactor is a shining example of Make in India”. He added that this is a “trailblazer for many such future achievements”

Congratulations to our nuclear scientists for achieving criticality of Kakrapar Atomic Power Plant-3! This indigenously designed 700 MWe KAPP-3 reactor is a shining example of Make in India. And a trailblazer for many such future achievements!

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 22, 2020

Kakrapar is a Pressurized Heavy Water  Reactor (PHWR) Power Plant, which belongs to one of the largest family of reactors with respect to power plants. Given India’s plans to add 175 GW of renewable energy from renewable sources such as wind and sun, the nuclear projects should help provide the baseload to balance the power grid.

India’s ambitious plans include constructing a dozen new nuclear power reactors totaling 9,000 MW. While nine reactors totaling 6,700 MW are under construction, the Centre has also given in-principal approval to set up nuclear power capacities totaling 25,248 MW across Jaitapur (Maharashtra), Kowada (Andhra Pradesh), Chhaya Mithi Virdi (Gujarat), Haripur (West Bengal) and Bhimpur (Madhya Pradesh), reported the Live Mint.

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