Noting that India imports defence equipment in large quantity, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday emphasised on indigenous manufacturing to help slash the defence budget by 50 per cent within a decade. Addressing an event in the national Capital, Modi stressed on developing “local” technology to help people deal with daily challenges as well as the need to provide a proper environment and mobilise resources to encourage “innovation”. “Today our nation imports defence equipment in large quantity. Is it not possible that our institutions concentrate in the area of defence and research and prepare a human resource development pool, which will help in making equipment cheaper to the extent that outside importers use this talent for manufacturing. India can be a global market if we do it,” he said.