New Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Monday started off his stint at the Centre by making a mark as he asserted that his “specialty” was in striking “transparent yet fast deals”.
He also stressed the need for carrying forward the ‘Make in India’ policy for Defence equipments as it will not only lead to self-reliance but also generate jobs.
Seeking time to understand the working of his Ministry and challenges facing it, the new Minister, however, assured that he will continue the work done by his predecessor Arun Jaitley in a brief period of six months. Jaitley, who was holding additional charge of Defence Ministry, cleared deals worth over Rs1,20,000 crore.
Fielding questions from mediapersons after arriving at his office in South Block, Parrikar said, “I am aware that Jaitley has done, in spite of constraints, a lot of initiation work on many of the issues concerning the Defence and I am quite confident of taking them ahead with speed.”
Asked about scams dogging various Defence deals leading to cancellation and delays in the last 10 years, the new incumbent termed them “very unfortunate”. “Whatever will be there will be very transparent but fast process. I think that is one of my specialties,” he said.
Parrikar, who earlier in the day filed his nomination papers to the Rajya Sabha from UP, said he was “equally worried” over the recent sinking of a torpedo recovery vessel off the coast of Visakhapatnam and recalled the series of accidents including two on board two submarines over the last year and a half.
“Defence Minister was defenceless against the Press today, but I won’t allow the country to be defenceless against the enemies,” he told reporters in lucknow. “My work is targeted completion of whatever is required to strengthen India through the Defence forces,” he said.
Thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi for allotting him a “sensitive and important” Ministry, the former Goa Chief Minister said though he has good administrative experience, the type of requirement at the national level may be different.
“I was left with no time. let me be frank. I had to virtually pack in five minutes. Two days was given for all the exercise,” he said, while requesting the media to give him time to understand the issues concerning the Ministry. “Give me a long rope. Do not hang on the first day itself,” he quipped during the brief interaction with scribes.
As regards making ‘Make In India’ policy a success, Parrikar said earlier technical skills used to be handed over from one generation to the other but that tradition is gradually vanishing. It is for this reason, we have to train people to acquire not only traditional skills but also new skills, he said and hoped to make use of his ministerial colleague Rajiv Pratap Rudy’s new Skill Development Ministry.