NEW DELHI: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh drew attention to the government's push towards Make in India for defence production, noting that around 100 countries having chosen Indian military equipment for their armed forces. Rajnath was enumerating the achievements of the PM Modi government as it completed 11 years in office.
"The government's persistent efforts are bearing fruit as the annual defence production, which was around Rs 40,000 crore in 2014, has crossed the record figure of Rs 1.30 lakh crore, and defence exports, which were Rs 686 crore in 2014, skyrocketed to Rs 23,622 crore in FY 2024-25," he underlined.
"We have set a target of Rs 1.75 lakh crore defence production this year and Rs three lakh crore by 2029. Our defence exports should reach Rs 30,000 crore this year and Rs 50,000 crore by 2029," he said.
"In the last 11 years, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government has transformed India's security apparatus by changing the attitude and the way of action towards every issue related to national security, and the world witnessed this shift during Operation Sindoor," said Rajnath, while addressing a dialogue on 'National Security & Terrorism' in Dehradun on Monday.
Rajnath listed out the steps taken by the government to strengthen the defence sector, including increasing the defence budget from Rs 2.53 lakh crore in Financial Year (FY) 2013-14 to Rs 6,22 lakh crore in FY 2024-25, reserving 75% of the budget for capital procurement from domestic companies and the issuance of a total of 10 Positive Indigenisation Lists, comprising over 5,500 items.
"Today, the Indian armed forces use state-of-the-art weapons, missiles, tanks and other systems/platforms manufactured within the country. Our indigenous missiles such as Agni, Prithvi & BrahMos stand ready to give a befitting reply to the enemy. We also have the strength to build aircraft carriers such as INS Vikrant," he added.
Highlighting the strategy adopted by the government to deal with terrorism and strengthen national security, Rajnath said the defence sector has emerged as one of the strongest pillars of Aatmanirbhar Bharat, and the weapons/platforms used during Operation Sindoor were made in India. "Today, India is not only protecting its borders, but is also creating a system which is making us strategically, economically and technically strong. Earlier, we were completely dependent on foreign defence equipment, but today India is rapidly becoming Aatmanirbhar in defence," he said.
The Defence Minister described Operation Sindoor as the biggest action taken against terrorism in Indian history, which was carried out with indigenous weapons and systems in response to the cowardly attack on innocent people in Pahalgam.
The Pahalgam incident was an attack on the social unity of the country, and India took strong action against terrorism and its perpetrators by destroying terror bases and related infrastructure in Pakistan and PoK, Rajnath said. "Following the abrogation of Article 370, J&K heralded into the era of peace and progress. Our neighbors could not tolerate this, and executed the terror attack in Pahalgam. Despite Pakistan's best efforts, it has not been able to stop development in Kashmir. Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla railway link is a shining example of the government's relentless pursuit of progress in J&K. Soon, PoK will join us and say 'I, too, am Bharat'," he added.
Branding terrorism as an epidemic destined to perish, the Defence Minister stressed that the menace cannot be left to die a natural death as its existence will continue to challenge collective peace, development and prosperity. He underscored the urgent need for a permanent solution to terrorism.
"Terrorists are not fighters with a cause. No religious, ideological or political reason can justify terrorism. No human objective can ever be achieved through bloodshed and violence. India and Pakistan attained independence at the same time, but today, India has been recognised as the Mother of Democracy, while Pakistan has emerged as the Father of Global Terrorism. Pakistan has always given shelter to terrorists, trained them on its soil and helped them. It always tries to justify this menace. It is important that we eliminate these terrorists and their entire infrastructure," said Rajnath.
The Defence Minister urged the international community to stop foreign funding to Pakistan, saying that a large part of this financial aid is spent on terrorism. "Funding Pakistan means funding the infrastructure of terrorism. Pakistan is a nursery of terrorism. It should not be nourished," he added.
Rajnath expressed shock at the recent decision by the United Nations Security Council to name Pakistan as the Vice-Chair of the Counter-Terrorism Panel, especially as it was formed after the 9/11 terror attacks. "Pakistan had sheltered the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks. Its land has been used as a refuge for global terrorist organisations. There, terrorists like Hafiz Saeed and Masood Azhar roam around openly, and senior officers of the Pakistan Army attend the funerals of terrorists. Now, the same country is expected to lead the global community against terrorism. This raises serious questions on the intentions and policies of the international system," he said.
