“India has become a strong & confident nation which is well-equipped to protect its people from anyone who tries to cast an evil eye,” warns Defence Minister Rajnath Singh during an event organised to commemorate ‘Kargil Vijay Diwas’ in Jammu on Sunday. Paying glowing tributes to the freedom fighters & the Armed Forces personnel who have laid down their lives since independence in the service of the Nation, Rajnath Singh stated that it was the spirit of national pride at the core of their values that protected the unity and integrity of India.
Rajnath Singh remembered the then Prime Minister late Atal Bihari Vajpayee for his leadership and words of encouragement to the Armed Forces personnel during the Kargil war despite numerous challenges and international pressure. He termed the victory as a prime example of jointness among the three Services and their coordination with the Government which safeguarded the sovereignty & integrity of the nation during testing times.
“The Kargil war underlined the dire need to achieve jointness and self-reliance in the defence sector. It has been our endeavour to achieve these qualities to remain prepared for future challenges. Setting up of Joint Theatre Commands and reforms to achieve self-reliance in defence are the steps taken in that direction,” he added
He asserted that the sole aim of the Government is to safeguard the interests of the Nation and it has taken a series of steps to develop a self-reliant defence ecosystem that provides indigenous state-of-the-art weapons/equipment to the Armed Forces to fight all kinds of future wars.
“Our priority is to achieve Aatmanirbharta in Defence as it is central to developing a robust security apparatus for the safety and security of the nation. To realise this vision, 68% of the defence budget has been earmarked for procurement of defence equipment from domestic sources”, he added.
From a net importer, he recalled that we have now become a net exporter which is not only catering to our own needs, but is also fulfilling the requirements of our friendly countries, in line with the ‘Make in India, Make for the World’ vision. Due to the recent measures taken by the Government, he said, India today finds itself among the top 25 exporters of the world in defence items. We have set a target to achieve Rs 35,000 crore worth of exports by 2025 and become a top exporter in the times to come.
