CHANDIGARH: Punjab Governor VP Singh Badnore on Friday inaugurated the third edition of annual Military Literature Festival here envisaging that India would become self-reliant in manufacturing its own defence weapons.
Meanwhile, lamenting the attitude of political class towards the defence needs of the country former Army Chief General VP Malik stated that lessons had not been learnt from the Kargil War leaving the nation vulnerable.
Kick-starting the biggest three-day Military extravaganza from December 13 to 15 with galaxy of military historians, serving and retired military officers, researchers, academicians, hundreds of school-children, authors and delegates from across the country and foreign shores, the Governor fondly remembered and paid tributes to the martyrs of Parliament attack, who made supreme sacrifice while defending the ‘temple of democracy’ on this day in 2001.
“Make in India” for defence systems is no longer a mere slogan but a reality. Very soon we shall be fighting securing our nation with a totally indigenously designed and manufactured weapons and equipment inventory,” he added. He said that our nation had come a long way since Independence in 1947, which was no longer dependent upon food or aid from abroad and in fact provide aid to other weaker nations.
“We should have by now built enough indigenous defence capacity platforms,” said General Malik (Retd), who headed the force during Kargil War, adding that Parliament should debate the reasons leading to this failure more than it was doing at the moment.