New Delhi, Dec 9 (IANS): Denying that the booking orders of the Defence Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) were dangerously low which may not sustain them beyond 2020-21, the Minister of Defence Rajnath Singh said on Monday that the government has taken various steps to improve the order book position of the PSUs, including modernisation of production capacity and infrastructure.

Replying to a query in the Rajya Sabha whether order books of Defence PSUs were low, Singh said: "No, it is not."

"The order book volume of Defence PSUs depends on the customers which is primarily the Armed Forces and export opportunities in the International market," the minister said.

He said that the current order book value of the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited was Rs 59,832 crore. The Bharat Electronics Limited and BEML limited have book order value of Rs 56,300 crore and Rs 9,568 crore respectively.

Rajnath Singh said that the Bharat Dynamics Limited has order Rs 7,200 crore, Mishra Dhatu Nigam Limited has order Rs 1,800 crore, Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited has order of Rs 52,113 crore, Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Limited has order of Rs 27,407 crore. The Goa Shipyard Limited and Hindustan Shipyard Limited have order value of Rs 14,956 crore and Rs 2,805 crore respectively.

The minister said that the government has taken various steps to improve the order book position such as modernisation of production capacity and infrastructure; emphasis on import substitution and indigenisation; promotion of exports; introduction of new technologies; and product diversification.

He also said that joint ventures with foreign companies were being set up and preference was being given to 'Buy (Indian -- Indigenously Designed, Developed and Manufactured)' equipment.