New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is set to undertake the annual performance review of 16 Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs) in New Delhi on September 1, with the exercise expected to focus on accelerating the development of indigenous technologies, strengthening self-reliance in defence manufacturing and further expanding India’s defence exports.
As part of the review, the CMDs of seven DPSUs — Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL), Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL), Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Limited (GRSE), BEML and Mishra Dhatu Nigam Limited (MIDHANI) — will present dividend cheques representing the government’s shareholding in the companies to the Defence Minister for the financial year 2025-26.
The annual performance review is being held against the backdrop of a strong financial performance by India’s DPSUs during 2025-26. The combined turnover of the 16 enterprises rose to ₹1.29 lakh crore during the financial year, marking a 15.4 per cent increase over the turnover recorded in the previous financial year.
The DPSUs also registered a cumulative Profit After Tax (PAT) of ₹23,136 crore in 2025-26, reflecting a 15.6 per cent growth compared with the previous year. The financial performance highlights the expanding contribution of defence public sector companies to India’s domestic defence production and the government’s broader efforts to strengthen the country’s defence industrial base.
Exports were another major area of growth for the DPSUs during the financial year. Their exports increased by a substantial 151.2 per cent in 2025-26 compared with the previous financial year. The sharp rise in exports assumes significance as the government continues to promote India as a reliable global defence manufacturing hub while simultaneously working to reduce the country’s dependence on imported defence equipment and technologies.
The performance review is expected to assess measures to further enhance the capabilities of DPSUs, with particular emphasis on indigenous research and development, technological innovation, modernisation of manufacturing facilities and increasing export-oriented production. The government is also likely to examine the progress being made by the public sector defence companies in developing advanced technologies and reducing reliance on foreign systems and components.
The focus on developing new indigenous technologies is in line with the government’s larger objective of achieving Aatmanirbharta in defence. DPSUs continue to occupy a crucial position in this effort, with the enterprises involved in the design, development and manufacture of a wide range of critical defence platforms, systems, equipment and technologies for the Indian Armed Forces.
The modernisation and indigenisation roadmaps for HAL are also expected to provide a strategic framework for strengthening the aerospace major’s technological and manufacturing capabilities. The initiatives are aimed at supporting greater domestic content, enhancing indigenous production and strengthening HAL’s ability to meet the evolving requirements of the armed forces.
The government is seeking to build on the strong performance recorded by DPSUs in terms of turnover, profitability and exports by encouraging them to accelerate technological development, strengthen innovation and deepen indigenisation across their production processes. The broader objective is to enhance the competitiveness of Indian defence companies and further establish India as a major defence manufacturing and exporting nation.
During the event, Singh is also scheduled to release four books highlighting various aspects of the country’s defence public sector and its efforts towards self-reliance. These include Aatmanirbhar DPSU – A Journey of DPSUs Towards Self-Reliance and DISHA, an initiative designed to provide students with hands-on exposure to defence technologies and modern manufacturing processes.
The other two publications to be released by the Defence Minister are the Modernisation Roadmap of HAL and the Indigenisation Roadmap of HAL. The publications are expected to highlight the ongoing transformation of DPSUs and the measures being undertaken to strengthen indigenous capabilities, modernise defence manufacturing and support the government’s long-term vision of a self-reliant defence sector.
