Nearly 1,000 Indian and foreign defence companies will showcase their weapon systems at the four-day international exhibition DefExpo-2016 starting in Goa on March 28 and there is no bar on blacklisted firms from participating in the event unlike last time.
Moreover, the exhibition, held every two years, is being held outside the national Capital since it started two decades back. Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar will inaugurate the show.
Making it clear that blacklisted firms are free to exhibit their products, Secretary (Defence Production) AK Gupta said on Wednesday "this is a commercial exhibition. You can come and participate. Debarment is from the point of view of purchase by the Ministry of Defence. They can showcase their products to other countries and enter into collaboration."
Giving details of the forthcoming exhibition, Gupta talked about this issue when asked whether blacklisted companies will be allowed to participate. In February 2014, when the DefExpo was held in Delhi, the Defence Ministry had decided to keep 27 Indian and foreign firms, including those facing CBI inquiries, out of exhibition.
Director of Defence Exhibition Organisation, Wing Commander M D Singh, said one such company Finmeccanica is participating in the event. In 2014, the Defence Ministry had not allowed AgustaWestland’s parent company Finmeccannica, which was under the scanner over the VVIP helicopter scam, along with some of its other group companies.
As regards the forthcoming show, officials said US has the largest presence with 93 of its companies followed by 71 Russian firms, 46 from UK, 39 from Germany, 28 each from France and Israel, besides others.
In total 490 foreign defence firms are attending the ninth edition of DefExpo as compared to 369 in 2014. Among the Indian companies too, there has been a significant jump. While in 2014, 256 domestic companies took part, the figure is already 540 this time.