The Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises and Defence Public Sector Undertakings of the country are taking such huge strides that the world is taking note, Union minister Ajay Bhatt said on Monday.

He was speaking to reporters after inaugurating the two-day National Defence MSME conclave and exhibition, aimed at bringing various works done by MSME and DPSUs into public domain, on Dussehra Ground, Kota.

Praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Minister of State for Defence claimed that his initiative ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ turned the country from a major importer of defence equipment to an exporter, saying India earned Rs 38,500 crore in five years by manufacturing and selling equipment and apparatus to foreign countries.

Referring to a survey conducted in 2020, he said India was now among the top 25 countries that export defence equipment and apparatus.

“India stands third in defence budget. We are no longer weak at any point, and we are quickly becoming a world power,” he said.

Earlier, Lok Sabha Speaker and Kota-Bundi MP Om Birla, along with Bhatt, inaugurated the conclave-cum-exhibition.

The Kota region is filled with infinite possibilities for MSME entrepreneurs. Efforts are underway to give the sector a new fillip with government and private firms pumping big money into the sector, he said.