After filing his nomination papers in lucknow for the Rajya Sabha polls as a BJP candidate, former Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar took charge as the Defence Minister on Monday and assured that from now defence deals will be transparent yet fast. He also stressed on the need for carrying forward ‘Make In India’ policy for defence equipment to ensure self-reliance and to generate jobs.
Seeking time to understand the working of his Ministry and challenges facing it, the new Minister, however, said that he will take forward the work done by his predecessor Arun Jaitley in a brief period of six months. Jaitley was holding additional charge of the Defence Ministry and cleared deals worth over Rs1,20,000 crore.