New Delhi, March 7 (IANS) Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Thursday that the country's Armed Forces are equipped, capable and ready to give a befitting reply to anyone who casts an evil eye on India.
"Today, our forces possess a strong will power due to a powerful leadership at the Centre. We are working continuously towards keeping the morale of the soldiers high. They are equipped, capable and ready to give a befitting reply to anyone who casts an evil eye on India," the Defence Minister said this at a Defence Summit organised by NDTV on Thursday.
He said that India's defence apparatus is today stronger than ever as the Government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is focusing on bolstering it with the sentiment of Indianness.
He termed ‘perspective’ as the major difference between the current and the previous dispensations, stating that the present government ardently believes in the capabilities of the people of India, while those in power earlier were somewhat skeptical about their potential.
The Defence Minister described promoting ‘Aatmanirbharta’ in defence manufacturing as the biggest change brought about by the Government, which is giving a new shape to India’s defence sector. He enumerated the reformative steps taken by the Ministry of Defence to achieve self-reliance, including setting up of Defence Industrial Corridors in Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu; notification of positive indigenisation lists; reserving 75 per cent of capital procurement budget for domestic industry, corporatisation of Ordnance Factory Board and schemes/initiatives such as Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX), iDEX Prime, Acing Development of Innovative Technologies with iDEX (ADITI) & Technology Development Fund (TDF).
The Defence Minister emphasised that the country’s defence system has been induced with a new energy by the Government, as per the vision of the people of the country. This, he said, has resulted in India emerging as a powerful nation on the global stage with a strong and self-reliant military.
Highlighting the harmony between military power and spirituality prevalent in the Indian culture since centuries, the Defence Minister emphasised that the Government has been consistently working for the betterment of the serving and retired personnel as well as those who made the supreme sacrifice in the service of the nation, along with their families.
“The Armed Forces are being modernised with latest state-of-the-art weapons/platforms. We established the National War Memorial in New Delhi to honour the sacrifices of the bravehearts. In addition, we implemented the One Rank One Pension scheme, a long-pending demand of the ex-servicemen,” he added.
Govt targets Rs 50,000 cr defence exports by 2028-29: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said the Modi government has prioritised the defence sector and along with the promotion of indigenous manufacturing was aiming at an export target of Rs 50,000 crore for military hardware by 2028-29.
Speaking at the NDTV Defence Summit here, the minister said, "In 2014, when Prime Minister Modi's government came to power, we put the defence sector as one of our main priorities. Aatmanirbharta (self-reliance) was encouraged and we introduced many Make-in-India initiatives. Our focus was on military modernisation," he said.
Elaborating on the new eco-system for defence manufacturing based on Aatmanirbharta, he said the country’s defence exports during the current financial year were now close to Rs 20,000 crore and he was confident by 2028-29 the figure would touch Rs 50,000 crore.
"I am not saying that previous governments did not take steps to strengthen the country’s defence sector. But the difference is that we brought Aatmanirbharta in the defence sector based on our faith in India’s capability. This faith in India’s capability was lacking among the previous governments," he added.
The Defence Minister said the government had corporatised the ordnance factories which had made them more technology-friendly and increased accountability which has resulted in an increase in production. He said the government has also put its trust in indigenous companies such as Hindustan Aeronautical Limited, Tata and L&T to boost the defence sector.
The Minister said India now imports technology "only when our own innovation falls short".
He said that as much as 75 per cent procurement of defence equipment was now being reserved from indigenous companies. The value of India-made defence equipment has now gone up from Rs 30,000 crore in 2014 to Rs 1.10 lakh crore, he added.
He pointed out that the government was encouraging startups in the defence sector, especially by young entrepreneurs, to develop cutting-edge technology and had raised the financial assistance being offered to them to Rs 25 crore.
The Defence Minister hit out at the “Anglicised elite” which had fostered a slave mentality in the country and relegated the country’s rich cultural heritage to the background.
Underlining the government's vision to reduce dependence on other countries, he said, "As a nation, adopting a mindset of technological dependence on other countries can be detrimental to our overall well-being, impacting various facets such as literature, daily life and every aspect of our existence. Prime Minister Modi is striving to break free from this mentality."
"We must break free from thinking that we are dependent on others and change the way we approach progress," he said. To drive home his point, the Defence Minister quoted lines by poet Sarveshwar Dayal Saxena. "Lik par ve chalen jinke charan durbal aur hare hain, hamein to jo hamari yatra se bane aise anirmit panth pyare hain (Those whose feet are weak and defeated should follow the trodden path, we like the path created by our journey)," he added.
