New Delhi, March 4 : The Defence Ministry on Friday postponed DefExpo-2022, proposed to be held in Gandhinagar, Gujarat from March 10 to 14, “due to logistics problems being experienced by participants”. The new dates will be comm cated in due course, Principal Spokesperson of the Ministry, A Bharat Bhushan Babu said in a tweet. ponement of DefExpo- 2022, Asia’s Largest Exhibition on Land, Naval, Air and Homeland Security Systems, less than a week before the scheduled start of the event, has surprised many stakeholders. The event was gaining significant traction since India relaxed its health protocols on February 10, due to falling cases of Covid-19. It was scheduled to be held in hybrid mode, with stalls in both physical and virtual realms. DefExpo-2022 was planned in the largest ever area of around one lakh sq mt at three venues: Exhibition at the Helipad Exhibition Center (HEC), Events and Seminars at the Mahatma Mandir Convention and Exhibition Center (MMCEC) and Live demonstration for the public at Sabarmati Riverfront. DefExpo-2022 was planned to have 78 participating nations, 39 Minister Level delegations with other confirmations to be received in the days ahead and 1000+ registered exhibitors, the Ministry said in a earlier statement. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, on February 18, had extended the event by one day, noting that the relaxation in Covid-19 protocols has generated greater interest in the exhibition. The on Minister had noted that such an extension would benefit the local students as dedicated trips for them were being planned. ASU RJ
