Union Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth inaugurated the ‘MSME Defence Conclave-2026’ at the Adityapur Auto Cluster in Saraikela-Kharsawan district of Jharkhand today. He said the Adityapur industrial area has the potential to emerge as an industrial capital and that the objective is to develop Jamshedpur as a manufacturing hub for defence equipment along with automobiles.

Mr Seth informed that India is currently exporting defence equipment to more than 92 countries and that the rising defence budget is creating major opportunities for local industries. He said that small-scale units are increasingly contributing to defence production and exports. The two-day conclave, with participation from major organisations such as DRDO, HAL and Mahindra Defence, is seeking to connect local entrepreneurs with the defence sector through seminars, B2B meetings and exhibitions.