History
As free India was born, the Government of India announced a comprehensive industrial policy, empowering itself to set up infrastructure to manufacture a host of critical products. It was from this authority that Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) was established in 1954 under the Ministry of Defence to meet the specialised electronic needs of the Indian Defence. Today, BEL has grown into a multi-product, multi- technology, multi-unit conglomerate empowering the nation’s armed forces to guard the country’s frontiers with state-of-the-art products and systems in the areas of Radars & Fire Control Systems, Missile Systems, Communication & C4I systems, Electronic Warfare & Avionics, Naval Systems & Antisubmarine Warfare Systems, Electro Optics, Tank Electronics & Gun Upgrades, and Strategic Components.
BEL is among the elite group of Public Sector Undertakings, which has been conferred the Navratna status. The growth of the company mirrors the advances in defence electronics in India. BEL has achieved many milestones over the years. The Akash Air Defence Weapon System is a shining example of BEL’s indigenous design, development and manufacturing drive. The Coastal Surveillance System developed for strengthening surveillance of India’s over-7,500-km-long coastline is being offered to friendly countries. BEL has made giant strides in Radars with the induction of Weapon Locating Radar and 3D Tactical Control Radar.
Though Defence is its mainstay, BEL has made a mark in non-Defence too. BEL’s tamper-proof Electronic Voting Machines have revolutionised the voting system in India, making the process transparent and tamper-proof. When the country wanted its services the most, BEL manufactured 30,000 ICU Ventilators in a record time to help the Government combat the Covid pandemic
BEL has been doing its bit to promote the Government’s Make in India initiative by laying strong thrust on in-house R&D and indigenization, outsourcing from Indian private industries, Public-Private Partnerships, Joint Ventures, capacity expansion and modernization. The company has created a ‘Make in India Cell’ to implement its outsourcing policy.
BEL aims to increase its non-defence share in the overall business. Some of the areas the company is focussing on include solutions for the Civil Aviation sector, Anti Drone Systems, Satellite Assembly & Integration, Solar, Railway & Metro solutions, Network & Cyber Security solutions, Energy Storage products for Electric Vehicles, Homeland Security & Smart Cities, Medical Electronics, Artificial Intelligence, etc.
BEL is fast expanding its global presence. All-out efforts are being made to tap new export markets across the globe. In a bid to develop new markets in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) and friendly foreign countries (FFCs), BEL has operationalised overseas marketing offices in Oman, Vietnam, and Sri Lanka. BEL has also expanded its Singapore and New York Regional Offices to handle marketing activities. The company has identified Exports & Offsets as one of its thrust areas.
