BEL: Celebrating 70 Years of Excellence

Bharat Electronics Limited started with humble beginnings and is now a global powerhouse that is constantly broadening its horizons while enhancing its efforts for more in-house developments. In this interview, Bhanu Prakash Srivastava, Chairman and Managing Director, BEL, talks about the extraordinary journey of the company and the strategies that it is presently implementing to expand its products and technologies within and outside the defence sector

Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) is celebrating 70 years in operation. On this historic occasion, can you share with us some thoughts on the organisation's journey thus far and the road ahead?

We are celebrating 70 years of excellence in operation and, indeed, it's been quite a momentous journey. The astute vision of our founding fathers has come to fruition as BEL has established itself as a trusted technology partner of India's defence forces. From a humble beginning in 1954, 70 years down the line, BEL is a global company that exports a wide range of high-technology products to numerous countries. As we commemorate this important milestone, BEL remains dedicated to exceeding expectations and continuously evolving to achieve new levels of success. Our commitment to innovation and growth ensures that we stay at the forefront of technological advancements and continue to make a positive impact on the world.

Could you share details about your financial performance in FY 2023-24 and your order book position?

It gives me immense pleasure to share that BEL has achieved a turnover of around ₹19,700 crore, provisional and unaudited, last financial year, against the previous year's turnover of ₹17,333 crore, registering growth of 13.65 per cent. The company has declared two interim dividends amounting to ₹1,023.37 crore (140 per cent) for FY 2023-24. Overriding challenges posed by the prevalent geopolitical crisis, we achieved an exports sale of USD 92.98 million, as against the previous year's export turnover of USD 48.33 million, registering a growth of 92 per cent. Some of the major products exported included transmit and receive modules, compact multi-purpose advanced stabilisation system, radar and electronic warfare systems, medical electronics, communication equipment, etc.