Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday said here the Government is constantly focusing on self-reliance and ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to make India one of the strongest and most respected countries in the world.
He also said the Government is leaving no stone unturned to realize the dream of a ‘New India’ which is not dependent on any country to fulfill its needs, especially those related to security.
Elaborating on a number of steps taken by the Ministry of Defence to achieve ‘Aatmanirbharta’ in defence, Rajnath said in an event, the issuance of three positive indigenisation lists of 310 items as well as encouraging the private sector to become a part of the nation’s growth story is testament to the Government’s unwavering commitment to provide the Armed Forces with indigenously developed state-of-the-art weapons.
He said the domestic industry has the capacity and capability to manufacture the latest defence platforms in water, land, sky and space in the next few years and the government is making all efforts to provide them with the necessary environment.
Throwing light on the progress achieved due to the Government’s efforts, the defence minister said , defence exports, which were once `1,900 crore, have now crossed `13,000 crore.
He exuded confidence of achieving the target of `1.75 lakh crore of defence production by 2025, which includes the export of `35,000 crore. He made special mention of the country’s first indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant, with 76 percent indigenous content, which was commissioned by the Prime Minister on September two in Kochi. He termed it an important milestone in India’s path to achieving self-reliance.
Rajnath, however, made it clear that ‘Aatmanirbharta’ does not mean isolation. He defined it as India’s resolve to give hope and relief to the whole world.