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Tag: Rajnath Singh

  • India now among top 25 nations exporting defence ware: Rajnath Singh

    By Express News Service

    BENGALURU: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday emphasised on the initiatives taken by the Union Government to increase defence exports from India, stressing that the country had emerged in the Top 25 global defence exporting countries for the first time.

    A tweet put out by the “Office of the Raksha Mantri/ Defence Minister of India” quoted Singh saying, “According to the 2020 report of Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, India has featured in the list of top 25 defence exporting countries of the world for the first time. The Defence Ministry is making constant efforts so that India can become a global leader in defence exports.”

    He said the private sector industry, which is only a decade-old, held 80-90 per cent share in the country’s defence exports. “A new strategy has been developed for export of weapons/equipment de-inducted by the services. Such items will be exported to friendly foreign countries after refurbishment by the industry. Its implementation guidelines are being finalised,” he said in the tweet.

    Singh on Thursday visited Defence public sector undertakings (PSUs) in Bengaluru and chaired a closed-door meeting of the Consultative Committee of the Defence Ministry. Sources said Singh reviewed the functioning of defence PSUs, discussed the role of the private sector in defence manufacturing and export of defence products from India.

    The Centre has set a defence exports target of Rs 35,000 crore by 2020-25 and the government is encouraging the private sector to play a larger role in strengthening the defence manufacturing sector, sources said. The Defence Minister, who arrived in Bengaluru on Thursday on a two-day visit to the state, will be attending the inaugural ceremony of the three-day conclave organized by the Indian Air Force in commemoration of the golden jubilee of the 1971 India-Pakistan war.

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to deliver the keynote address in the virtual mode (webcast) at the conclave which is being held at Air Force Station Yelahanka, Bengaluru. The conclave will be attended by senior officers from the Ministry of Defence, including Chief of Defence Staff, General Bipin Rawat, who will speak on “higher directions of war: deriving aim and objectives.”

  • Government finalising guidelines to export refurbished weapons to friendly foreign countries: Rajnath Singh

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The government is currently finalising guidelines to export refurbished weapons and equipment to friendly foreign countries, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh told a parliamentary committee meeting on Thursday.

    The old weapons and equipment of the Indian armed forces will be first refurbished by the defence industry and then exported to friendly foreign countries, the minister said in Bengaluru during a meeting of Parliamentary Consultative Committee on Defence, according to officials.

    They said that the minister told the committee during his speech that the “implementation guidelines” for export of refurbished of old defence items are being “finalised”.

    According to the officials, Singh told the committee that the government has set a target of Rs 35,000 crore (USD 5 billion) exports in aerospace and defence goods and services by 2024-25.

  • CPI MP Binoy Viswam writes to Rajnath Singh, slams government decision to corporatise OFB

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: CPI MP Binoy Viswam on Tuesday wrote to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, slamming the government’s decision to corporatise the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) and highlighting the “anti-worker” decisions being taken by the new management.

    Alleging that the new management has “arbitrarily” decided to alter the working conditions of the employees, Viswam said that it’s the government’s responsibility to ensure that their rights and interests are protected.

    The government dissolved the OFB with effect from October 1 and transferred its assets, employees and management to seven defence public sector units (DPSUs).

    The OFB supplies critical arms and ammunition to the armed and paramilitary forces.

    “I want to draw your attention to the escalating problems that have arisen as a result of the government’s decision to corporatise the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) and the arbitrary anti-workers’ decisions being made by the management of the seven new corporations,” Viswam said in his letter.

    “Despite widespread opposition to the corporatisation of the Ordnance Factory Board, which employs over 70,000 people, the Union government decided to push ahead with its plan,” he alleged.

    The CPI MP claimed that certain guarantees given to the workers have not been honoured.

    “Unfortunately, in the first two weeks of this move, the new management has arbitrarily and unilaterally decided to alter the service conditions of the employees including working hours, overtime allowances, medical benefits amongst many others. Despite multiple representations by the Employees Federations to the Secretary (DP), there has been no action taken in the matter,” he said.

    He said as the Department of Defence Production embarks on this new phase, it is the responsibility of the government to ensure that the rights and interests of the employees are protected in accordance with the guarantees given to them.

    “These employees have made exemplary contributions to the defence of India and they must not be treated in an unjust manner.

    “I, therefore, urge you to intervene in this matter and ensure that the management of the seven corporations do not take unilateral decisions that go against the assurances given to employees,” he said.

    In an order dated September 28, the defence ministry said that the government has decided that all employees of the OFB (Group A, B & C) belonging to the production units and also the identified non-production units shall be transferred en masse to the new DPSUs on terms of foreign service without any deputation allowance (deemed deputation) initially for a period of two years from the appointed date (October 1).

    The seven DPSUs are Munition India Limited, Armoured Vehicles Nigam Limited, Advanced Weapons and Equipment India Limited, Troop Comforts Limited, Yantra India Limited, India Optel Limited and Gliders India Limited.

  • Rajnath Singh praises Indira Gandhi for role as PM leading India in 1971 War

    Express News Service

    NEW DELHI: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh praised the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on Thursday for her role in the 1971 war with Pakistan. Addressing the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) symposium on the role of women in the armed forces, Rajnath Singh said Indira Gandhi not only was at the helm of affairs of he country, but led it in times of war.

    He also referred to Rani Laxmi Bai and former President Pratibha Patil adding about India’s positive experience about the role of women’s power in national development. “A few years back, Pratibha Patil was the President and the Supreme Commander of the Indian Armed Forces,” he said.

    While it was okay to talk about the role of women in the armed forces, their vast contribution in all areas of security and nation-building should be recognised, Rajnath said. “There are a number of examples of women taking up arms to protect their country as well as the rights of the people throughout history. Rani Laxmi Bai is amongst the most revered and respected amongst them,” he said.

    Talking about India’s initiatives towards women’s participation in the armed forces, the defence minister said, “Women have been serving with pride in the Indian Military Nursing Service for over 100 years. The Army had commenced commissioning women officers in 1992. It has now moved to inducting women officers in most of the branches of the Army,” he said.

    “Women are now being accepted for permanent commission and shall be commanding Army units and battalions in the near future,” he added. 

  • Terrorism weapon of choice of non-state actors, irresponsible states: Rajnath Singh

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Terrorism has been employed as a weapon of choice by non-state actors and irresponsible states to advance their political objectives in the region, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Thursday in a thinly-veiled attack on Pakistan.

    In an address at a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) seminar on the role of women in the armed forces, Singh said the concept of security is undergoing a “paradigm shift” and the member states of the grouping will have to deal with challenges like terrorism collectively.

    “The concept of security is undergoing a paradigm shift. The changing character of war is bringing threats from our borders to within our society and amongst the people. Terrorism is just the most obvious and diabolical manifestation of this reality,” he said.

    “It has been employed as a weapon of choice by non-state actors and irresponsible states alike for the furtherance of their political objectives,” Singh said at the virtual event.

    The defence minister said the SCO has rejected terrorism in all its manifestations, noting that women have been and will remain equal contributors in the fight against the menace.

    “The SCO as an organisation has unequivocally rejected terrorism in all its manifestations and forms.

    The reality further reinforces the role of all citizens of the SCO in this fight against the common threat that is challenging us,” he said.

    “This fight cannot be won by half the population of our region or a country. Women have been and will remain equal contributors in this fight, both within the armed forces and beyond,” he said.

    In his speech, the defence minister also provided a brief overview of the role being played by women in the Indian armed forces.

    “Our future is in our hands. It is for the SCO nations to ensure regional stability, promote peace, ensure gender equality and work towards the betterment of the entire region.

    We look forward to much greater participation and a bigger role of women in various tasks of the armed forces,” he said.

    In his address, Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat said the character of a war has evolved from a predominantly conventional one to a hybrid and grey-zone warfare, adding that cyberspace and outer space are the new revolutionary domains of war fighting.

    “In consequence, the distinction between the roles of men and women in modern day war fighting is getting blurred by the day. The notion of gender gap is passe,” he said.

    The Chief of Defence Staff said women have proved their mettle in demanding combat roles such as fighter pilots, paratroopers, submariners and the like, and their abilities in the cognitive and information domains are unmatched.

    “Indeed, across the globe, countries are gaining valuable experience in the contribution of women warriors and the views shared today will help chart the course for the growing role of women in the emerging combat environment,” he said.

    Secretary (West) in the Ministry of External Affairs Reenat Sandhu said the past decades have opened up new vistas for women in the Indian armed forces and the women military officers have created a niche for themselves at the global level in UN peacekeeping missions.

    She said India created history in 2007 by deploying the first ever all-female Formed Police Unit (FPU) for UN Peacekeeping in Liberia.

    “Due to their dedication, professionalism and motivation, the all-female Formed Police Unit proved to be a strong, visible role-model, gaining worldwide attention and illustrating the significant contribution that women can make towards global peace and security,” Sandhu said.

    Representatives from almost all the SCO countries participated at the online conference organised by India.

  • Rajnath Singh hails Indira Gandhi for leading India ‘during times of war’

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Former prime minister Indira Gandhi not only led the country for a number of years, but she also did so during the times of war, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Thursday, in an apparent reference to her role in the 1971 war with Pakistan.

    In an address at a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) seminar on the role of women in the armed forces, the defence minister also talked about Rani Laxmi Bai and former president Pratibha Patil, and said India has a positive experience in harnessing women’s power in national development.

    Singh said though it is justifiable to discuss the role of women in the armed forces, their wider contribution in all spheres of security and nation-building must also be recognised and reinforced.

    “There are a number of examples of women taking up arms to protect their country and the rights of the  people through history. Rani Laxmi Bai is amongst the most revered and respected amongst them,” he said.

    “India’s former prime minister Indira Gandhi not only led the country for a number of years, she also did so during the times of war. And more recently, Pratibha Patil was the president of India and the supreme commander of the Indian armed forces,” the defence minister added.

    Under Indira Gandhi’s prime ministership, India won the 1971 war against Pakistan that resulted in the birth of Bangladesh.

    Singh said the tradition of women as both caregivers and protectors has continued over the centuries and remains deeply embedded in the customs and traditions of the region.

    “If Saraswati is our goddess of knowledge, wisdom and learning, mother Durga remains associated with protection, strength, destruction and war,” he said.

    Singh said India is amongst a very few countries that took an early initiative in terms of women’s participation in the armed forces and that women are now being accepted for permanent commissioning and shall be commanding Army units and battalions in the near future.

    “Women have been serving with pride in the Indian Military Nursing Service for over 100 years now. The Indian Army had commenced commissioning women officers in 1992. It has now moved to inducting women officers in most of the branches of the Army,” he said.

    “Women are now being accepted for permanent commission and shall be commanding Army units and battalions in the near future,” he added.

    Singh said women will be able to join the premier tri-service pre-commissioning training institute, the National Defence Academy, from next year.

    Describing the induction of women in the military police in the Army as a major milestone, he said India’s approach to their induction in the police, central police, paramilitary and armed forces has been progressive.

    “We have taken the evolutionary path of moving from support to combat support and thereafter, to combat arms within the armed forces,” he said.

    “We have found that the process of induction, given its broad-based and progressive path, has also simultaneously prepared the society and the armed forces for this change.

    This is an important aspect to ensure a smooth and successful transition,” the defence minister added.

    Referring to women’s role in the Navy, he said from humble beginnings in the Air Traffic Control in 1993, the women officers graduated to being pilots of maritime reconnaissance aircraft in 2016 and are now being appointed onboard warships since last year.

    “The Indian Coast Guard has been employing women officers in combat roles, which include pilots, observers and aviation support services. In the Indian Air Force, women are inducted in all roles, including combat and support roles,” Singh said.

  • Defence minister conducts final breakthrough blast of Sela tunnel in Arunachal Pradesh

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh virtually conducted the final breakthrough blast of the Sela tunnel in Arunachal Pradesh and flagged of a 20,000-km-long motorcycle expedition of the BRO on Thursday.

    The virtual breakthrough blast and the flagging-off were conducted by the minister at the National War Memorial here.

    Singh said the Sela tunnel will be the world’s largest bi-lane tunnel at an altitude of more than 13,000 feet.

    He also lauded the work done by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) while handling this project.

    The tunnel will not only strengthen national security, but also augment the transportation facilities for the local people and consequently, boost their socio-economic conditions, he said.

    “This tunnel, which has been made with state-of-the-art features, will prove to be the lifeline for not just Tawang, but the entire state of Arunachal Pradesh,” Singh said.

    The tunnel goes through Sela Pass and is expected to cut down the distance to the China border through Tawang district in Arunachal Pradesh by 10 km.

    The construction work of the tunnel is expected to be over by June 2022.

    “The breakthrough blast of the Sela main tunnel shows your (BRO’s) hard work and your commitment towards the country’s security and socio-economic development,” the defence minister said. He also flagged off a motorcycle expedition of the BRO. Singh said 75 personnel of the BRO and the Army will participate in the motorcycle expedition that will cover a distance of 20,000 km passing through many states and Union territories.

    The Sela tunnel would cut down the travel time between the Army’s 4 Corps headquarters at Tezpur in Assam and Tawang by at least an hour.

    Moreover, it would ensure that National Highway 13, especially the 171-km stretch between Bomdila and Tawang, remains accessible in all weather conditions.

    In the 2018-19 budget, former Union finance minister Arun Jaitley had announced the Centre’s plan to build a tunnel through Sela Pass, located at an elevation of 13,700 feet, which will ensure a faster movement of troops in Tawang, a strategically-located district bordering China.

  • Jairam Ramesh, Owaisi attack Rajnath Singh for his ‘Gandhi-Savarkar comment’, say minister trying to rewrite history 

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: A day after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s remark that it was on Mahatma Gandhi’s request that Savarkar wrote mercy petitions, some opposition leaders attacked the minister on Wednesday, alleging that he was “trying to rewrite history”.

    Congress leader Jairam Ramesh and AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi shared on Twitter a letter by Gandhi on Jan 25,1920 to Savarkar’s brother regarding a case, and accused the Union minister of giving a “twist” to what Gandhi wrote.

    The AIMIM leader also said the first petition Savarkar wrote was in 1911, just six months after getting to prison and Gandhi was then in South Africa.

    Savarkar wrote again in 1913/14 and Gandhi’s advice is from 1920, he added.

    “Rajnath Singhji is amongst the few sober and dignified voices in Modi Sarkar. But he doesn’t seem to be free of the RSS habit of rewriting history. He has given a twist to what Gandhi actually wrote on Jan 25 1920. Here is that letter to Savarkar’s brother,” Ramesh said on Twitter while sharing the letter.

    “Rajnath Singh has clearly blown Gandhi’s letter of Jan 25 1920 out of context. Not surprising. This is par for the course for the BJP/RSS,” he said in another tweet.

    Defending Savarkar, BJP MP Rakesh Sinha tweeted “Congress opposes Savarkar ji who never integrated with British administration and exhibited the highest sacrifice for the Motherland. However, some people had regular dining at Mountbatten’s home.”

    BJP IT cell in-charge Amit Malviya in a tweet quoted Gandhi on Savarkar “he is clever. He is brave, he is a patriot. The evil, in its hidden form of the present system of Government, he saw much earlier than I did. He is in the Andamans for having loved India too well. Under a just government he would be occupying a high post’ – Gandhi on Savarkar.”

    Jairam Ramesh’s comments were in response to a historian and Savarkar’s biographer Vikram Sampath, who tweeted, “Some needless brouhaha about the statement by Rajnath Singh.”

    “In my Vol 1 and in countless interviews I had stated already that in 1920 Gandhiji advised Savarkar brothers to file a petition and even made a case for his release through an essay in Young India 26 May 1920.So what’s noise about,” Sampath said.

    Tweeting on the issue, another historian S Irfan Habib said, “Yes, monochromatic history writing is really changing, led by the minister who claims Gandhi asked Savarkar to write mercy petitions.

    At least it is accepted now that he did write. No documentary evidence needed when the minister makes a claim. New history for New India.”

    Owaisi attacked Singh and said,”Sir @rajnathsingh you said thatSavarkar’s grovelling mercy petitions were on Gandhi’s advice. Here’s the letter to Savarkar from Gandhi. No mention of petition to the British begging for leniency, mercy and promising to be a faithful servant of the crown.”

    BJP ally JD(U) too waded into the row over Rajnath Singh’s claim, with party spokesperson K C Tyagi demanding that letters exchanged between Gandhi and Savarkar should be made public to shed light on the matter.

    “While it is true that Savarkar spent many years in jail, it is also true that he tendered an apology and was freed with the consent of the British administration after he reached a pact with them”, Tyagi said, adding that he also decided to withdraw from politics following his release.

    The copy of Gandhi’s letter to S D Savarkar, shared by Ramesh and Owaisi, said, “I have your letter.

    It is difficult to advise you.

    I suggest, however, your framing a brief petition setting forth the facts of the case bringing out in clear relief the fact that the offence committed by your brother was purely political I suggest this in order that it would be possible to concentrate public attention on the case. Meanwhile, as I have said to you in an earlier letter I am moving in the matter in my own way.”

    Rajnath Singh at an event to release a book on Veer Savarkar on Tuesday had alleged that there was a deliberate conspiracy to defame Savarkar and that it was on Gandhi’s advice that he wrote his mercy petitions.

    “He was an icon of Indian history and will remain so.

    There can be a difference of opinion about him, but to look down on him as inferior is not appropriate and justifiable.

    He was a freedom fighter and a staunch nationalist, but people who follow the Marxist and Leninist ideology are the ones who accuse Savarkar of being a fascist…,” Singh said, adding that the hatred towards Savarkar is “illogical and unplaced”.

    Talking about Savarkar as a freedom fighter, he said his commitment for freedom was so strong that the British sentenced him to life imprisonment twice.

    “Lies are spread about Savarkar repeatedly. It was spread that he filed many mercy petitions seeking his release from jails….It was Mahatma Gandhi who asked him to file the mercy petitions…,” the defence minister said.

  • Savarkar never apologised to British: Sanjay Raut

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut on Wednesday said Veer Savarkar had never apologised to the British, a day after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh claimed that the freedom fighter had written mercy petitions to the British on Mahatma Gandhi’s request.

    Talking to reporters in Pune, Raut said freedom fighters who languish in jail for more than ten years can adopt a strategy thinking they can do something after coming out of jail instead of remaining inside.

    In politics or while serving imprisonment, a different strategy is adopted, Raut said.

    “If Savarkar had adopted any such strategy it cannot be called an apology. Savarkar might have done that (adopted a strategy). This cannot be called an apology. Savarkar never apologised to the British,” he said.

    Raut, who had demanded Bharat Ratna for V D Savarkar on many occasions, said the freedom fighter, a Hindutva icon, has always been an ideal for his party.

    When asked about Rajnath Singh’s statement on Savarkar, Raut said he was not aware of it.

    Rajnath Singh on Tuesday hailed Veer Savarkar as a staunch nationalist and India’s first military strategist in the 20th century and said it was on Mahatma Gandhi’s request that he wrote mercy petitions to the British and people from the Marxist and Leninist ideology wrongly accuse him as a fascist.

    Meanwhile, Raut said the Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government will ensure that votes are not divided in the local body elections, due early next year.

    “In Pimpri Chinchwad in Pune district, Shiv Sena will install its mayor. In Pune city also we aim to have our mayor,” he said.

    Pimpri Chinchwad is considered the stronghold of the Nationalist Congress Party headed by Sharad Pawar.

  • Savarkar was first to suggest ‘two-nation theory’: Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel

    By ANI

    RAIPUR: Taking a dig on Defence Minister Rajnath Singh over his comment that “Savarkar wrote mercy petitions to the British government on Mahatma Gandhi’s request”, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Wednesday said that it was Savarkar who first suggested the “two-nation theory”.

    Baghel, while speaking to the media persons here, said: “Mahatma Gandhi was confined in the Wardha jail and Savarkar at the Cellular jail. How would they have communicated? He filed mercy petitions from jail several times.”

    “Savarkar continued to be on the side of the Britishers at that time and helped them in their divide and rule policy. He was the first one to suggest the two-nation theory after coming out of jail in 1925,” he added.

    Earlier on Tuesday, the Defence Minister had stated that it was on Mahatma Gandhi’s request that Savarkar wrote mercy petitions to the British. He was speaking at the launch of the book ‘Veer Savarkar: The Man Who Could Have Prevented Partition’.

    “Lies were spread about Savarkar. Time and again, it was said that he filed mercy petitions before the British government seeking his release from jail. It was Mahatma Gandhi who asked him to file mercy petitions,” Singh said at the event.