India prioritises defence modernisation, production jumps to Rs 1.78 lakh crore, says Rajnath Singh
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday said the Government is according the highest priority to the modernisation of the defence forces, driven by a self-reliant and future-ready defence sector.
Stating this is his address to the soldiers through Akashvani on the eve of 80th Independence Day highlighted the transformative shift witnessed by the defence sector in the last 12 years due to initiatives such as ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ and ‘Make-in-India.’
He asserted that India has become a nation which is effectively catering to its own security needs, while emerging as a global defence manufacturing hub and a net defence exporter.
Rajnath Singh emphasised that the domestic defence production, which stood at just `46,000 crore in 2014, has skyrocketed to a record Rs 1.78 lakh crore in the Financial Year (FY) 2025-26, nearly a four-fold increase over the last decade.
He added that defence exports, which stood at a mere Rs 686 crore in FY 2013-14, surged to an all-time high of Rs 38,424 crore in FY 2025-26, an increase of over 5,500 per cent. Rajnath Singh also pointed out that the defence budget has risen from Rs 2.53 lakh crore in FY 2013-14 to Rs 7.85 lakh crore in FY 2026-27, which is a reflection of India’s growing commitment to future defence technologies.
The defence minister said over the past year, the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC)has granted Acceptance of Necessity for projects worth over Rs 8.75 lakh crore, which highlights the Government’s emphasis on defence modernisation.
He said the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)and the defence forces are positioning India at the forefront of technologies for future warfare amidst the evolving defence landscape.
The defence minister underlined that border area development is a focus area of the Government, as the objective is to enhance defence preparedness and connectivity with border areas. He lauded the defence forces for being the ‘first responders’ to carry out relief and rescue operations whenever an unfortunate natural disaster occurs in the country or abroad.
