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Tag: Rajnath Singh

  • India to soon manufacture 90 per cent of defence products it needs: Rajnath Singh

    By PTI

    JHANSI: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday said India will soon be manufacturing 90 per cent of the defence products it needs within the country and by 2024-2025, it will also export such products worth USD 5 billion.

    “Earlier, 65-70 per cent defence products were imported. Now, as we head for ‘aatmanirbharata’ (self-reliance), 65 per cent of defence products are made in India. We were known as an importer (of defence equipment) earlier, now we are exporting those to 70 countries,” he said while addressing the gathering at the “Rashtra Raksha Samarpan Parv” here.

    “By 2024-2025, we will be achieving the target of exporting defence products worth USD 5 billion as fixed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. I can assure him that 90 per cent of the defence products will be made in India soon,” he said.

    Earlier, Singh paid tributes to Rani Laxmibai and said there was a time when India was counted among the countries buying the largest number of defence equipment in the world, but today, with the efforts of the prime minister, the situation has changed.

    In the presence of Modi at the concluding session on the final day of the Rashtra Raksha Samarpan Parv, which began in Jhansi on Wednesday, the defence minister said due to his initiatives for women empowerment, women are being recruited in the Army.

    He said taking inspiration from Rani Laxmibai, the government is also increasing the participation of women in various fields as well as in the Army.

    Singh, who inaugurated the three-day event jointly organised by the defence ministry and the Uttar Pradesh government on Wednesday, had earlier said women’s participation has increased in all security forces, including police and the paramilitary forces, since the Modi government came to power in 2014.

    “When I was the home minister, I had issued an advisory to all the states that a 33-per cent representation should be given to women in security forces. The situation has changed now. In all police and paramilitary forces, the participation of women has increased,” he had said.

    “There was a time when 65-70 per cent of defence equipment was imported. The picture has changed now. Only 35 per cent defence items are imported and 65 per cent are being manufactured in India,” Singh had said.

    Shedding light on other visible results, he had said defence exports from India had crossed the Rs 38,000-crore mark in the last seven years.

  • Rajnath Singh inaugurates revamped war memorial in eastern Ladakh

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday inaugurated a revamped war memorial in eastern Ladakh’s Rezang La, the site of an epic battle where Indian troops bravely fought the Chinese soldiers in 1962.

    Singh described the monument as an example of the determination and indomitable courage displayed by the Indian Army that he said is not “only immortal in the pages of history, but also beats in our hearts”.

    “The historic battle of Rezang La, fought at an altitude of 18,000 feet, is difficult to imagine even today. Major Shaitan Singh and his fellow soldiers fought till ‘last bullet and last breath’ and wrote a new chapter of bravery and sacrifice,” he said.

    The defence minister tweeted that he paid tributes to the Indian soldiers who made their supreme sacrifice while reaching Rezang La, located amid the inaccessible hills of Ladakh, in the 1962 war.

    “The Battle of Rezang La is considered one of the ten greatest and most challenging military conflicts in the world,” he said.

    The revamped war memorial has been thrown open at a time India and China have been locked in a bitter border standoff in eastern Ladakh for nearly one and half years.

    The Indian Army had occupied a number of mountain peaks in Rezang La region in August last year following China’s aggressive posturing and failed attempt to intimidate Indian troops.

    The eastern Ladakh border standoff between the Indian and Chinese militaries erupted on May 5 last year following a violent clash in the Pangong lake areas and both sides gradually enhanced their deployment by rushing in tens of thousands of soldiers as well as heavy weaponry.

    The tension escalated following a deadly clash in Galwan Valley on June 15 last year.

    As a result of a series of military and diplomatic talks, the two sides completed the disengagement process in the north and south banks of the Pangong lake in February and in the Gogra area in August.

    The last round of military talks on October 10 ended in a stalemate following which both sides blamed each other for the impasse.

    In a strong statement after the 13th round of talks, the Indian Army said the “constructive suggestions” made by it at the negotiations were neither agreeable to the Chinese side nor could Beijing provide any “forward-looking” proposals.

    Each side currently has around 50,000 to 60,000 troops along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the sensitive sector.

  • Ladakh War Memorial dedicated to martyrs of  1962 and 2020, to be inaugurated by Rajnath Singh

    Express News Service

    NEW DELHI:  Indian Army has constructed a War Memorial in Chushul, which will be inaugurated by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh next week, on the 59th anniversary of the famous battle of Rezangla.

    “The defence minister will inaugurate the Rezangla War Memorial on November 18,” said a source. He will be accompanied by Chief of Defence Staff, General Bipin Rawat. The new War Memorial will be on the tourist map of Ladakh.

    In addition to the names of 114 of the 120 soldiers of the 13th Kumaon Battalion who lost their lives fighting but defeated many waves of the Chinese army in 1962, this War Memorial will also have the names of the 20 soldiers who died in Galwan last year in a clash with the Chinese soldiers.

    This will be the second Memorial after the Galwan War Memorial in Chushul of Eastern Ladakh.

    The Line of Actual Control in Eastern Ladakh has been a site of tense stand-offs with the PLA since May 2020. Although there have been disengagement of troops from Galwan, Gogra and North and South Banks of the Pangong Lake, confrontations continue in Hotspring, Depsang and Demchok.

    There are close to 60,000 soldiers of each side of the LAC.

    Indian Army is prepared for every eventuality, said the Army Chief recently, expressing concern over the increased deployment of forces on the Chinese Side. Army Chief Gen MM Naravane said, “Yes, it is a matter of concern that largescale build-up has occurred and continues to be in place, and to sustain that kind of a build-up, there has been an equal amount of infrastructure development on the Chinese side.”

  • Uttar Pradesh to help government’s commitment to fulfilling needs of defence industry: Rajnath Singh

    By PTI

    LUCKNOW: The government is committed to fulfilling the needs of the defence industry, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Friday, exuding confidence that a strong defence manufacturing ecosystem will be developed in Uttar Pradesh.

    Singh also praised the cooperation of UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in the growth of the defence manufacturing ecosystem in the state and said this system will help in the realisation of the dream of India becoming self-reliant.

    Speaking at a meeting in the state capital for the promotion of investment in the UP Defence Industrial Corridor, Singh said, “The government is committed to meet the requirements of the defence industry. I have full confidence that a strong defence manufacturing ecosystem will be developed in Uttar Pradesh and realise the dream of a self-reliant India.”

    Singh, who arrived in his Parliamentary constituency on Friday morning, said that with the inspiration of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, defence corridors have been established in Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.

    He said that their aim is to develop an eco-system for industries that can fulfil all their small and big needs easily from one place and in an economical way. Referring to the demands of some speakers earlier, Singh said that a centrally sponsored scheme with the provision to incentivise the defence industry in investing in defence corridors will soon be brought.

    Stressing that the industrial heritage of Uttar Pradesh is very old, Singh said there are many districts here which are famous for their products the world over. “In coming times, the state is fully prepared to leave its mark in the defence and aerospace sectors across the world. I am sure we will be able to develop the defence and aerospace sectors in UP,” he said.

    He said the government and he himself fully understand the needs and risks of the industry very well. “If anyone has the ability to make the country self-reliant at the earliest, it is our private industry,” he said.

    The defence minister said that our government is fully committed to meeting the needs of the defence industry and both these industrial corridors are the result of this. “If we understand your strengths, then we understand your needs equally well,” he added.

    Singh said for the first time, the private industry has been given a share in the domestic manufacturing budget. “How much interest we are taking can be seen from the fact that we have given 350 licenses in seven years from 2014 to 2021 as compared to about 200 licenses from 2000 to 2014. In the design and development project also, we are bringing policy provision to encourage the private sector,” he said.

    Defense Minister Singh said earlier people were wary of doing business in UP and Bihar but now such an environment has been created in UP that it is attracting a large amount of business. “Had it been the UP of earlier days, you would not have this glow on your faces,” he said.

    While praising the work of the Yogi government, he said law and order should be good for any investment. The UP government is making efforts for industrial development and the central government is also not lagging behind, Singh said.

    Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath earlier gave detailed information about the works related to the UP Defence Industrial Corridor.

  • Defence Minister Rajnath Singh emphasises need for enhancing jointness among armed forces

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: As India begins work on the ambitious theaterisation plan, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday said that enhancing jointness is essential and that inputs from all stakeholders would be taken into consideration for the new structure.

    In an address at a conference of the top commanders of the Indian Air Force (IAF), he also referred to the “volatile” situation on India’s borders and asserted that the armed forces need to be prepared to respond at a short notice to any contingency, officials said.

    The defence minister appreciated the IAF for maintaining a high level of preparedness, ability to respond on short notice and displaying high standards of professionalism in carrying out operational and peacetime tasks, they said.

    The commanders of the IAF will carry out a comprehensive review of India’s security challenges along the borders with China and Pakistan at the conference from November 10-12.

    Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari briefed Singh on various operational aspects of the IAF.

    In his address, Singh said that the role of IAF in future conflicts is crucial and it needs to harness the capabilities and opportunities offered by artificial intelligence, big data handling and machine learning.

    “Expounding on theaterisation, he mentioned that enhancing jointness is essential and the structure should be evolved after closely examining various options, and inputs from all stakeholders would be taken into consideration,” the IAF said in a statement.

    The armed forces are likely to firm up by the middle of next year a roadmap for rolling out the theatre commands that are expected to ensure optimum utilisation of the military resources and enhance India’s war-fighting capability.

    According to the plan, each of the theatre commands will have units of the Army, the Navy and the Air Force and all of them will work as a single entity looking after security challenges in a specified geographical territory under an operational commander.

    Recently, the department of military affairs (DMA) asked the three services to complete their studies on the proposed theatre commands by April so that the plan to create the new structures can be expedited.

    The defence minister also highlighted efforts in the field of indigenisation of military hardware through ‘Make in India’ initiative and said it is showing results.

    He said the orders of Light Combat Aircraft Tejas Mk 1A and C-295 transport aircraft will open new opportunities in the indigenous aerospace sector.

    In September, India signed a nearly Rs 20,000 crore contract with Airbus Defence and Space to procure 56 C-295 transport aircraft to replace the Avro-748 planes of the IAF.

    Under the agreement, Airbus will deliver the first 16 aircraft in “fly-away” condition from its final assembly line in Seville, Spain.

    The subsequent 40 aircraft will be manufactured and assembled by Tata Advanced Systems (TASL) in India as part of an industrial partnership between the two companies.

    The defence minister also exhorted the commanders to brainstorm to evolve viable solutions towards the theme of the conference, ‘Ensuring Certainty amidst Uncertainities’.

    In his address, the Chief of Air Staff emphasised on the need to develop multi-domain capability in order to give a swift and befitting response to any misadventures by India’s adversaries.

    He also emphasised the need for joint training with the Indian Army and Indian Navy to enable synergised application of combat power in future conflicts.

    Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari complimented all the commanders for maintaining a high state of readiness despite challenges posed by the pandemic, the IAF said.

    “Uncertainty in the geopolitical landscape makes it an imperative for the armed forces to train, equip and adapt to rapid changes,” the IAF said.

    It said the commanders will discuss and brainstorm situations that may affect national security and focus on measures to enhance operational capability.

    “Issues pertaining to strengthening training and optimising human resources policies for effective utilisation of manpower will also be discussed,” it added.

  • Told Pakistan action against terrorism will be taken on their side of border if needed: Rajnath Singh

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: India has clearly told Pakistan that action against terrorism will be taken not only on this side of the border but also on their side if needed, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Friday.

    “People used to say that if Article 370 is abolished, then the entire Kashmir will burn. All in all, Jammu and Kashmir is peaceful except for a few incidents,” he said at an event here.

    Rajouri and Poonch in Jammu region have witnessed a rise in infiltration attempts since June this year, resulting in the killing of nine terrorists in separate encounters.

    The Centre had on August 5, 2019 abolished Article 370 of the Constitution that granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir.

    Singh said, “It is true that our enemy forces are fidgety. I can say with surety that terrorists’ confidence has been broken in Kashmir Valley.”

    Since October 11, the Indian Army is conducting a massive search operation to track down hiding terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir’s twin border districts of Poonch and Rajouri.

    Pakistan was not able to gather any support on the topic of Kashmir even after trying a lot, the minister said.

    “Modiji has redesigned and redefined India’s attitude against terrorism. Remember, what a soft attitude was maintained against terrorists during earlier governments,” Singh told the gathering.

    If there were terrorist incidents, there was talk of giving “safe passage” to them, there used to be talk of playing or not playing matches against Pakistan, he said.

    “Now the situation has changed. Our government has said clearly that terrorism and talks cannot go hand in hand. For the last few years, we have stopped having any talks with Pakistan,” the minister mentioned.

    “Now we don’t talk about playing or not playing (cricket) matches. Instead, we have stated it clearly that action against terrorism will be taken — on this side of the border as well as on the other side of the border if needed,” he added.

  • Modi 24-carat gold, his tenure as head of government should be case study for management students: Rajnath

    NEW DELHI: Hailing Prime Minister Narendra Modi as “24-carat gold”, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday said his political journey of last two decades as head of government should be taught in management schools as a case study on “effective leadership and efficient governance”.Speaking at length about the last two decades of Modi’s political journey, Singh said, “A true leadership is identified by its intent and integrity and in both cases, Modiji is 24-carat gold. There is not a single stain of corruption on him even after being the head of a government for 20 years.”Speaking at the valedictory session of a national conference on ‘Delivering Democracy: Reviewing 2 Decades of Narendra Modi as Head of Govt’, Singh said Modi is not merely a person.”If we look at his political journey of the last two decades, we will find that new challenges kept coming before him. But the way he faced those challenges should be taught in management schools as a case study on effective leadership and efficient governance,” the defence minister said.Talking about Modi’s tenure as Gujarat chief minister, Singh said he took Gujarat on the path of holistic development and worked for the progress of every section of the society.The defence minister said Modi gave the mantra of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’ and then as prime minister added ‘Sabka Vishwas, Sabka Prayas’ to it.”Yeh nara ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’ dete huiyae Narendra bhai Modi ne Gujarat mein panth nirpekshta ki ek nai ibarat likh di (By giving this slogan of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’, Narendra Bhai Modi in Gujarat wrote a new chapter of unbiasedness towards any religion),” Singh said, adding secularism does not mean unbiasedness towards any religion.Singh also cited various reforms and schemes started by Modi as Gujarat chief minister.Stating that there is no difference between words and deeds of Modi, the defence minister said he accepted the crisis of credibility in Indian politics as a challenge and overcame it.Discussing Modi’s commitment to development, Singh said for a long time, promotion of trade, industry and business was avoided in this country.”It was believed that if you stand with business and industry then your social commitment is weak. Modi ji gave a tough challenge to this misconception. He recognised and respected industry and entrepreneurs in nation building. Supported and promoted them also, Singh said.Sharing the details of his long association with Modi, when they were chief ministers of Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat respectively, the former BJP chief said Modi’s amazing decision-making ability and his imaginative power impressed him the most.Modi served as chief minister of Gujarat from 2001 till his election as prime minister in 2014.

  • India determined to protect legitimate rights in its territorial waters: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The rise of serious threats such as terrorism, drug trafficking, piracy and climate change have thrown new challenges for the Indo-Pacific at a time when the competition over its resources has intensified, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Wednesday.

    In an address at a conference on the Indo-Pacific, Singh said the nature of the challenges in the region has considerable trans-national implications that require a cooperative response.

    The defence minister also asserted that India is fully determined to protect its legitimate rights and interests in its territorial waters and exclusive economic zone while supporting the maintenance of rules-based maritime systems.

    “While competition over resources has intensified, the rise of serious threats such as terrorism, piracy, drug trafficking and climate change have thrown new challenges for our Indo-Pacific region,” he said.

    “The nature of these challenges in the region has considerable trans-national implications which require a cooperative response.

    There is, therefore, a need to find convergence of interests and commonality of purpose on maritime issues,” Singh said.

    The defence minister said efficient, cooperative and collaborative harnessing of the region’s maritime potential, remained essential for sustaining a steady path to prosperity.

    “India is committed to respecting the rights of all nations as laid down in the UN Convention on the Law of Seas (UNCLOS), 1982,” he said.

    “We are fully determined to protect the legitimate rights and interests of our country in relation to our territorial waters and Exclusive Economic Zone while supporting the maintenance of rules-based maritime systems as mandated under UNCLOS,” he added.

    His comments came in the backdrop of growing global concern over China’s increasing expansionist behaviour in the Indo-Pacific that has forced many countries to come out with strategies to deal with the challenge.

    In his remarks, Singh elaborated on how the oceans have shaped human history from time immemorial, influencing the evolution of life as well as culture.

    “From an Indian perspective, looking West, archaeological explorations have revealed ancient maritime connections with other civilisations like Mesopotamia — modern-day Iraq, Dilmun — modern-day Bahrain, and Magan — modern-day Oman,” he said.

    The defence minister said that maritime linkages enabling the exchange of goods, culture and goodwill were foundational for mutual prosperity in the past, and continue to remain as such even today.

    “Looking East, maritime linkages also played a vital role in taking Buddhism across the region, from Sri Lanka, South East Asian countries and all the way till Korea,” he said.

    Singh noted that the amalgamation of ancient Indian folklore such as Ramayana and Mahabharata in South East Asian cultures is also a result of these maritime linkages.

    “In fact, the region was so inter-linked that according to a folklore, an Indian princess of Ayodhya married a Korean prince way back in the year 48AD,” he said.

  • India to highlight achievement in defence R&D at DefExpo in Gujarat

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The next edition of the DefExpo will provide an overview of what India has been able to achieve in terms of defence research and development, production and application of modern technologies for use by the military, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Monday.

    Gandhinagar in Gujarat will host the 12th edition of India’s mega defence exhibition — the DefExpo — from March 11-13 next year.

    In an address at an ambassadors’ roundtable on the upcoming expo, Singh said India’s defence exports have grown by 334 per cent in the last five years and now India is exporting military equipment to more than 75 countries.

    “Our export performance is a strong indicator of the quality and competitiveness of our defence products,” he said.

    The defence minister said he was sanguine that the exhibition will bring all the latest technologies under one roof and provide a myriad of opportunities to the stakeholders in the aerospace and defence industry.

    “The Defence Expo-2022 is going to provide an overview of what India has been able to achieve in terms of defence R and D and production, application of modern technologies, liberalized collaborative policies that we have introduced in a short period of 5-7 years,” Singh said.

    He told the envoys that the participation of their respective countries at the expo will lead to the development of “mutually advantageous relationships” in the defence sector.

    “India is open to doing business on a mutually beneficially collaborative basis, in the spirit of giving and take, for the all-round welfare of everyone,” he said.

    “At the same time, I can also assure you that the state of Gujarat has such richness of culture, art, food and serenity to offer that DefExpo-2022 will leave a lasting imprint on the participating delegates,” he added.

    The focus of the exhibition will be to showcase India as an emerging hub for the manufacturing of military hardware.

    “The defence ministry will remain available and proactively engage through the next four-plus months to develop and build DefExpo-2022 as one of the marquee events as India celebrates its 75 years of independence as Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav,” Singh said.

    Major global and domestic military firms are expected to participate in the biennial edition of the DefExpo with their latest weaponry and platforms.

    The 11th edition of DefExpo had taken place in Lucknow last year.

    The theme of the upcoming DefExpo will be “India: The Emerging Defence Manufacturing Hub”, officials said.

    The government is expected to highlight measures at the event to transform India into a hub of military manufacturing.

    The government has initiated a series of measures in the last couple of years to encourage the domestic defence industry.

    In August last year, Singh announced that India will stop the import of 101 weapons and military platforms like transport aircraft, light combat helicopters, conventional submarines, cruise missiles and sonar systems by 2024.

    A second negative list, putting import restrictions on 108 military weapons and systems such as next-generation corvettes, airborne early warning systems, tank engines and radars, was issued recently.

    In May last year, the government announced increasing the FDI limit from 49 per cent to 74 per cent under the automatic route in the defence sector.

  • India’s integrated defence command in final stage

    By Express News Service

    BENGALURU: India is in an advanced stage of integrating the three defence services in forming unified theatre commands to enhance the capabilities of the forces while ensuring greater synergy among them in various combat zones. This is with an aim to make the armed forces more capable, efficient and self-reliant.

    Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said, “We are moving in the direction of taking the initiatives of integration of armed forces to their logical conclusion. Integration will be ensured at theatre commands and down at all levels, from procurement, logistic support, capability building to training and indigenisation so that the armed forces become more efficient and self-reliant.”

    Defence Minister Rajnath Singh visits theAeronautical Development Establishmentfacility in BengaluruChief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat said the identification of regions of military concerns and designation of theatre commands will be based on tasks, threats, opportunities and assets with the three services. “We are moving towards a maritime theatre command, joint air defence structure and land-centric integrated theatre command for our land borders,” he said in his address at the inaugural session of the three-day conclave to commemorate the 1971 India-Pakistan war.

    He said they have studied theatre command modules in various countries, including the USA, UK, Russia and China to adopt some of the best practices to meet India’s requirements. Gen Rawat said the framework of a joint and integrated command and control would be structured in a manner that provides operational flexibility to pursue strategic objectives. 

    Integration of existing systems is need of the hour, says Gen Rawat

    Swift and concerted response by the three services with quick decision-making is the prerequisite in modern-day warfare, he said. He said the service chiefs are likely to retain operational control and it is progressing on a consensus-based approach with detailed discussions at various levels.

    “We are at present in the advanced stages of forming contours of the structures and processes required for this very important transformation,” he said, adding that after the proposal is finalised it will be operationalised on the orders of the Union government.

    Existing structures at the headquarter level also need to be integrated and augmented for joint operations and a study has been undertaken for that, he said. Later talking to the media, Gen Rawat said they have not set any timeline for finalising the theatre command. “We are moving rapidly and we will take all the services on-board to create theatre commands that suit our requirements.

    There is no point in setting a timeline. When we set timelines, we start working in haste. Creating an organisation and getting that organisation structure in place takes a long time,” he added. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, in his inaugural address, said, “We are moving in the direction of taking the initiatives of integration of armed forces to their logical conclusion.

    Integration will be ensured at theatre commands and down at all levels from procurement, logistic support, capability building, training and indigenisation so that the armed forces become more efficient and selfreliant.” Rajnath Singh said they now have the ‘Chief of Defence Staff ’ and ‘Department of Military Affairs’ in the Defence Ministry and they will again reiterate the same understanding and synergy which was seen in the 1971 Indo-Pak war. He termed that war as a shining example of integration of the three services of the armed forces, depicting the importance of planning, training and fighting together.