<span style="color: #222222;">The government has issued a total of 214 Defence Industrial Licenses to industries in the last five years including the private sector. Out of them, 43 industries have started production. This was stated by Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today. He said, the Defence Industry Sector was opened up to 100 percent for Indian private sector participation in May 2001. He said, the government has taken several policy initiatives in the past few years under Make in India. He said, the government has brought in reforms to enhance the capacity of manufacturing undertakings and private industries functioning in the country by encouraging indigenous design, development, and manufacture of defence equipment.</span><br />