India is strong and well-equipped to deal with all challenges, says Defence Minister Rajnath Singh
India Today
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, while speaking at an event in Udaipur on Tuesday, said India is now a self-reliant nation which can deal with any challenges.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday said India under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been transformed into a strong, confident and self-reliant nation which is fully equipped to deal with all kinds of threats and challenges.
He was speaking at an event in Udaipur, Rajasthan where he said that the steps taken by the government in the last eight years have injected new confidence into the Armed Forces. He asserted that India has never attacked any country, nor has it captured an inch of foreign land, but if anyone ever tries to harm the sovereignty, unity and integrity of the country, a befitting reply will be given.
“It is the result of the last eight years that India is no longer weak. We clarified our stand on terrorism when our Armed Forces, displaying tremendous might, carried out surgical strikes in 2016 and Balakot airstrikes in 2019. It was proof that India's military prowess is no less than any country,” Rajnath Singh said.
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He further said a strong and self-reliant ‘New India’ is moving shoulder-to-shoulder with powerful countries. He listed a number of steps taken by the Ministry of Defence to promote ‘Atma Nirbharta’ in defence, including issuance of three positive indigenisation lists of 310 items and earmarking 68 per cent of the capital procurement budget for domestic industry in Union Budget 2022-23.
He added that foreign companies are being encouraged to manufacture in India under the ‘Make in India, Make for the World’ vision to strengthen the domestic defence industry.
Rajnath Singh pointed out that the efforts made by the government have started to bear fruit as India is not only catering to its own needs, but is also fulfilling the requirements of other countries.
