Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday, 1 September called on Indian MSMEs to embrace the principle of 'Make in India, Make for India, and Make for the World' as the cornerstone of the country's manufacturing ambitions, urging small and medium enterprises to seize shifting global trade dynamics and position themselves as internationally competitive players. He was addressing an MSME event in Greater Noida.

Key Developments

Singh urged MSMEs to allocate a portion of their annual turnover to research, development, and technology upgradation. He also called on them to forge partnerships with universities, IITs, research institutions, DRDO laboratories, startups, and large industries to strengthen their technological capabilities and build scale.

The minister underscored that India's MSME base has expanded significantly — from approximately 4.67 crore enterprises in 2012-13 to around 8 crore at present — reflecting, in his view, a deepening entrepreneurial culture across the country.

Global Trade Opportunity and FTA Networks

Highlighting the realignment of global supply chains and rising demand for reliable manufacturing partners, Singh said these trends present a major opening for Indian MSMEs to expand their international footprint. He pointed to the government's efforts under Prime Minister Narendra Modi to advance Free Trade Agreements with key economies including the US, UK, New Zealand, Oman, Switzerland, and the European Union.

'These FTA networks open up a vast ocean of opportunities for global trade and exports for MSMEs and industries. They must fully leverage these international partnerships and trade agreements through government schemes such as Credit Guarantee Expansion and GST Rationalisation, and take Indian products to every corner of the globe,' Singh said.

Sectors Flagged as High-Opportunity

Singh identified a range of emerging technology domains as areas where MSMEs can carve out a global identity. These include drones, artificial intelligence, robotics, cybersecurity, advanced electronics, sensors, autonomous systems, advanced materials, space technologies, and quantum technologies.

He placed particular emphasis on the defence sector, noting that quality and reliability carry even greater weight when a component's performance directly affects the operational effectiveness of the armed forces. 'Indian MSMEs must establish their identity in global markets through quality and reliability,' he said.

Viksit Bharat@2047 as the Overarching Goal

Singh situated his remarks within the broader vision of Viksit Bharat@2047 — the government's long-term blueprint for India to become a globally competitive, technologically advanced, and self-reliant economy by the centenary of independence, while generating adequate employment for the country's youth. This comes amid sustained government push to raise India's manufacturing share of GDP, which has remained well below aspirational targets for over a decade.

With FTA negotiations advancing on multiple fronts and global supply chains continuing to diversify away from single-source dependence, the window for Indian MSMEs to capture a larger share of international manufacturing contracts may be narrowing — making Singh's call to act now more than just ceremonial.