News Analysis India

Tag: Rajnath Singh

  • PM Narendra Modi, Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh discuss ‘futuristic challenges’ in defence sector

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a meeting with Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval on Tuesday and discussed “futuristic challenges” in the defence sector, sources said.

    They also discussed various other aspects, including equipping security forces with modern equipment and involving more youth, start-ups and the strategic community in the field. The meeting came against the backdrop of the first-of-its-kind terror attack using drone at an Indian Air Force station in Jammu.

    The government has handed over the probe into the attack to the National Investigation Agency.

  • Terrorism reduced in Ladakh after becoming UT: Rajnath Singh

    By ANI
    LADAKH: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday said terrorism has reduced in Ladakh after it became a Union territory.

    “After becoming a Union territory, terrorism has reduced in Ladakh. There is mutual coordination among the Army, paramilitary forces and local police. We have data and figures that terrorism has reduced here,” said the Minister.

    Singh also revealed that many people had doubted the intention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi when Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh became a union territory by calling it a “political vested interest”.

    He also informed that the Centre wants to re-start the political process quickly in both regions.

    “After Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh were made Union Territories, many doubted the intention of Prime Minister as political vested interest. But he wants the political process to start in both regions. He spoke to political leaders of Jammu and Kashmir and will speak to leaders in Ladakh soon,” he added.

    Raksha Mantri also lauded the Army and said, “Our Army is sensitive as well. Even if the terrorists want to surrender and want to get into the mainstream then they are also given this opportunity.”

    Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday inaugurated 63 infrastructure projects constructed by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) from Ladakh.

    Singh is currently in Leh for a three-day visit to Ladakh. 

  • Rajnath Singh begins visit to Ladakh amid stalemate in disengagement process with China

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The dedication of Indian soldiers and veterans towards the country is an “exemplary example”, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Sunday soon after arriving in Ladakh on a three-day visit aimed at taking stock of India’s military preparedness in the region in the face of a prolonged border row with China.

    In Leh, Singh interacted with senior elected representatives of Kargil, Leh and Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council with a focus on the overall development of the regions, officials said.

    The defence minister, accompanied by Army Chief Gen MM Naravane, also met a number of armed forces veterans and discussed issues relating to their welfare as well as national security.

    “The dedication of our soldiers and veterans towards the country is an exemplary example.

    I express my gratitude from the bottom of my heart to all,” Singh said on the occasion.

    “Our aim is that all of you should be taken care of in the same way you had taken care of the country’s security.

    Despite this, if you have any problems somewhere, then a helpline has been arranged for to address them,” his office quoted him as saying.

    Official sources said the defence minister will carry out a comprehensive review of India’s operational readiness in eastern Ladakh amid a stalemate in the next stage of disengagement with China at several friction points.

    His visit to the sensitive region comes two days after India and China held a fresh round of diplomatic talks to resolve the prolonged military standoff that began in early May last year.

    The defence minister is scheduled to visit various key formations and high-altitude bases in the region to assess the ground realities as well as to boost the morale of the troops guarding the Line of Actual Control in a hostile environment.

    It is Singh’s first visit to eastern Ladakh after the Indian and Chinese militaries pulled back troops, tanks, infantry and other equipment from the Pangong lake areas in February as part of an agreement.

    The disengagement process in the remaining friction points including Hot Springs, Gogra and Depsang is deadlocked as China is reluctant to withdraw its troops from these areas.

    At a virtual meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) on border affairs on Friday, India and China agreed to hold the next round of military talks at an early date to achieve the objective of complete disengagement in remaining friction points.

    Singh’s visit to the sensitive region comes amid fresh sparring between India and China over the standoff.

    India on Thursday blamed China for the standoff saying its amassing of a large number of troops close to the border and attempts to unilaterally alter the status quo along the LAC last year were responsible for seriously disturbing peace and tranquillity in the region.

    India’s response came after China said its military deployment in the region is a normal defence arrangement aimed at “preventing and responding” to “encroachment and threat” on Chinese territory by India.

    India and China were locked in a military standoff at multiple friction points in eastern Ladakh since early May last year.

    However, the two sides completed the withdrawal of troops and weapons from the North and South banks of Pangong lake in February following a series of military and diplomatic talks.

    The two sides are now engaged in talks to extend the disengagement process to the remaining friction points.

    India has been particularly pressing for disengagement of troops in Hot Springs, Gogra and Depsang.

    According to military officials, each side currently has around 50,000 to 60,000 troops along the Line of Actual Control in the sensitive sector.

    There was no visible forward movement in disengagement of troops in the remaining friction points as the Chinese side did not show flexibility in their approach on it at the 11th round of military talks.

    Last month, Gen Naravane said that there can be no de-escalation without complete disengagement at all friction points in eastern Ladakh and that the Indian Army is prepared for all contingencies in the region.

    The Army Chief also said that India is dealing with China in a “firm” and “non-escalatory” manner to ensure the sanctity of its claims in eastern Ladakh, and that it was even open to initiating confidence-building measures.

  • Top BJP leaders discuss preparations for assembly polls in five states in 2022

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Preparation for the assembly polls in five states early next year was the main agenda of a meeting of senior BJP leaders, including several Union ministers, on Saturday as they deliberated on political and governance issues linked to these states.

    Party president J P Nadda and Union ministers Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Nirmala Sitharaman, Narendra Singh Tomar, Smriti Irani, Piyush Goyal and Dharmendra Pradhan were among those who attended the meeting, party leaders said.

    “Preparation for the assembly polls in five states was the main agenda of the meeting,” a party leader said after the meeting.

    Union ministers Pralhad Joshi, Mansukh Mandaviya and Hardeep Singh Puri, besides BJP general secretary Bhupender Yadav and its vice president Baijyant Jay Panda also attended the meeting.

    Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Manipur and Goa are slated for early next year.

    The BJP is in power in all these states except Punjab, and has been holding a series of meetings of its senior leaders as it works to put up an impressive show in the next round of elections.

    In the meeting, party leaders also took stock of various development works going on in these states as the BJP leadership has often stressed on the need for coordination among different ministries and the party organisation in an effort to factor in the feedback, sources said.

    Uttar Pradesh is especially crucial to the BJP’s political fortunes as the party has been the dominant power in the country’s most populous state since Prime Minister Narendra Modi led it to power at the Centre in 2014.

    The ruling party leaders have been holding deliberations for weeks over a number of political and governance issues.

  • Top BJP leaders including Amit Shah, JP Nadda discuss preparations for five state polls in 2022

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Preparation for the assembly polls in five states early next year was the main agenda of a meeting of senior BJP leaders, including several Union ministers, on Saturday as they deliberated on political and governance issues linked to these states.

    Party president J P Nadda and Union ministers Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Nirmala Sitharaman, Narendra Singh Tomar, Smriti Irani, and Kiren Rijiju were among those who attended the meeting, party leaders said.

    “Preparation for the assembly polls in five states were the main agenda of the meeting,” a party leader said after the meeting.

    Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Manipur and Goa are slated for early next year.

    The BJP is in power in all these states except Punjab, and has been holding a series of meetings of its senior leaders as it works to put up an impressive show in the next round of elections.

    Uttar Pradesh is especially crucial to the BJP’s political fortunes as the party has been the dominant power in the country’s largest state since Prime Minister Narendra Modi led it to power in 2014.

    The ruling party leaders have been holding deliberations for some time over a number of political and governance issues.

  • Amit Shah, JP Nadda and other senior BJP leaders hold meeting at party headquarters

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Senior BJP leaders, including Union ministers Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh and party president JP Nadda, held a meeting here on Saturday. The meeting, held at the party headquarters, was attended by several other senior leaders, including those handling organisational charges, sources said.

    The ruling party leaders have been holding deliberations for some time over a number of issues, ranging from the COVID-19 vaccination exercise to various governance and political matters. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also attended many meetings, which were held at his residence and attended by several Union ministers besides Nadda.

  • India’s first Indigenous Aircraft Carrier will be commissioned next year: Rajnath Singh

    By PTI
    KOCHI: India’s first Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC) will be commissioned next year, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said here on Friday.

    In a statement to the media after reviewing the progress made in the construction of the IAC, Singh described it as India’s pride and a shining example of Atmanirbhar Bharat.

    “Commissioning of this IAC next year would be a befitting tribute to India’s 75th year of India’s independence”, he said.

    Singh visited the IAC being built at Cochin Shipyard Limited here.

  • Rajnath Singh reviews Project Seabird work in Karwar

    Express News Service
    KARWAR: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, accompanied by Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Karambir Singh, on Thursday reviewed the ongoing works at the Project Seabird Phase II-A site at the Karwar Naval Base, the country’s largest naval infrastructure project which aims at providing fleet support and maintenance of warships.

    The expanded naval complex will be able to support several major warships and at least 30 vessels, submarines and yard crafts. A state-of-the-art Naval Air Base and maintenance section is also said to be the part of the Phase II-A project, which is an extension of the Naval base totally spread across over 11,000 acres. The project was delayed for some time as the land earmarked for it was forest land and was cleared after the visit of former Defence Minister Nirmala Sitaraman.

    The Phase II-A project, located on hilly terrain along the coast, involves several technical and environmental challenges. A significant part of the work will be carried out by reclaiming a part of the sea. Rajnath Singh, who was on his first visit, had a hectic schedule with several field visits and briefings regarding the progress of works. He  visited the Ship Lift tower, which, according to naval sources, is a new concept where an entire ship will be lifted to the jetty.

    The Raksha Mantri, accompanied by Admiral Karambir Singh, also did an aerial survey of the Naval area before he landed at the Naval base. On arrival, he was received by Vice Admiral R Hari Kumar, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Naval Command, and Rear Admiral Mahesh Singh, Flag Officer Commanding, Karnataka Naval Area. He also interacted with the Naval staff and others.

  • Rajnath Singh reviews progress of Karwar, wants it to be Asia’s largest naval base

    By Express News Service
    NEW DELHI: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh lauded the Indian Navy on Thursday on its efforts to boost self-reliance saying more than two-thirds of the Navy’s modernisation budget has been spent on indigenous procurement in the last five financial years.

    Rajnath was reviewing the progress of Phase-II of Karwar also known as Project Seabird. “I want Karwar Naval base to be Asia’s biggest. I will even try to raise the budget for it,” he said while addressing the press.

    Lauding the navy’s commitment towards ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’, he stated that out of the 48 ships and submarines, 46 are being inducted through indigenous construction. 

    Describing indigenous aircraft carrier Vikrant as a shining example of the navy’s self-reliance efforts, Rajnath Singh said, “The commissioning of Indigenous Aircraft Carrier Vikrant will be a momentous occasion in the history of Indian defence as it is coinciding with the 75th anniversary of India’s Independence.”

    ALSO READ | Defence Minister Rajnath Singh surprises everyone by attending adopted son’s wedding

    The Defence Minister inspected the ongoing works at the Naval Base and received on-site briefings including capability demonstration at the Shiplift Tower, the first such facility in the country, which will help in the docking of the ships and submarines.

    He also undertook a tour of the Naval Harbour and reviewed the marine works/infrastructure being developed as part of Project Seabird Phase II A as also the operationalisation of Piers.

    The Minister also visited the newly-constructed Sailors Married Accommodation, which incorporates advanced features for water efficiency, handling of household waste, energy efficiency and provides environment-friendly houses.

    Karwar is home to the Navy’s lone aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya and also has the country’s first sealift facility. 

    Considering the congestion at the other naval bases, Phase-II of Project Seabird was cleared by the Cabinet Committee on Security in 2012 under which it was envisaged to expand facilities to house additional warships and set up a new naval air station among others.

    The Defence Minister was accompanied by Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Karambir Singh. 

  • Defence Minister Rajnath Singh meets Lieutenant Governors of Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday held separate meetings with the lieutenant governors of Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir, officials said.

    Jammu and Kashmir Lt Governor Manoj Sinha is learnt to have apprised the defence minister about the security scenario in the union territory.

    “The Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, Shri @manojsinha_called on Raksha Mantri Shri @rajnathsingh in New Delhi today,” Singh’s office tweeted.

    Issues related to the overall development of Ladakh figured in Singh’s meeting with Lt Governor R K Mathur, people familiar with the deliberations said.