Defence Minister Rajnath Singh announced that the government has reserved 75% of the defence capital acquisition budget for purchases from local companies, aiming to strengthen MSMEs in the defence sector. This reservation amounts to around Rs 1 lakh crore. The government has also released five positive indigenisation lists, with 509 equipment identified for manufacturing in India. Additionally, four positive indigenisation lists for Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs) were promulgated, with 4,666 items identified for manufacturing within the country. The Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) initiative was launched to invite new ideas in defence manufacturing from startups. The Ministry of Defence, one of the largest buyers of products from MSMEs, nearly doubled its online procurement of goods and services from MSMEs and other sellers in the financial year 2022-23.