HT Bureau
GUWAHATI, Feb 24: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi led Central government is focussing on long-term gains and not short-term outcomes to make India ‘Viksit Bharat’ by 2047.
“The Government, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is focusing on long-term gains and not short-term outcomes to make India a developed nation by 2047,” Singh said at a Defence Summit organised by a private media organization in New Delhi on February 24.
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Singh also termed ‘giving priority to long-term and long-term gains’ as the main difference between the present government and the previous dispensations.
The minister further stated that unlike in the past, the present government has formulated and implemented policies which not only provide short-term gains for just five years. He enumerated the reforms undertaken in the defence sector for long-term gains in the last few years, including creation of the post of Chief of Defence Staff and setting up of the Department of Military Affairs which has enhanced jointness, synergy and smooth coordination among the three Services.
Speaking on the intergration of Defence services, Singh pointed out that the government has been focusing on the integration of the Indian Army, the Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force, which will ensure enhanced coordination among them in times of crisis.
“Earlier, the three Services used to work in silos. We focused on their integration which was an out-of-the-box step and the need of the hour. It was a little difficult in the beginning; but today our military is ready with better coordination to deal with every challenge together,” he added.
Commenting on the major steps taken in the field of defence manufacturing, the Singh said that the Ministry of Defence notified five positive indigenisation lists of the Services, comprising over 500 items, and four other lists, with over 4,600 items for DPSUs,to ensure that the soldiers use made in India weapons and platforms.
He also referred to the decision to earmark 75 per cent of the capital acquisition budget for procurement from local companies, adding, “Some people were of the view that indigenous weapons won’t be world class; however, the government believes in the capabilities of the domestic industry and that they can consistently improve & deliver state-of-the-art products”.
The Defence minister emphasised that radical changes have been made in the defence sector for long-term gains to make it completely self-reliant, and achieve the Prime Minister’s goal of’Aatmanirbhar Bharat’.
“Imposing a ban on import of arms was a short-term difficulty as today that challenge is slowly turning into opportunity, and India is rising on the defence industrial landscape of the world. Today, our military is using weapons and platforms, which are manufactured on our own soil,” he stated.
Singh reasserted that no military can protect its nation from equipment imported from outside and self-reliance in defence production is must for India in today’s time. Additionally, he pointed out that the Government’s persistent efforts towards self-reliance have started to bear fruit as the defence production has crossed Rs one lakh crore.
Singh was of the view that through initiatives like setting up defence industrial corridors in Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, the Government is making sure that modern military hardware is not only manufactured in India, but also exported to friendly countries.
“Earlier, India was known to be an arms importer. But today, under the leadership of the Prime Minister, we have come out of our comfort zone and found a place in the list of top-25 arms exporter nations. Seven-eight years ago, defence exports did not even touch Rs 1,000 crore. Today, it has touched Rs 16,000 crore. By 2028-29, annual defence production is expected to touch Rs 3 lakh crore and defence exports Rs 50,000 crore,” he said.
Singh stated that while the government is supporting huge companies, it is also inviting young ignited minds to the defence sector through start-ups, terming it another step taken for long-term gains.
He said in the coming 20-25 years, these companies, on the back of their innovations, will help give a new dimension to India’s strong identity on the global stage.
He referred to the recent meeting of the Defence Acquisition Council, in which effective steps were taken to promote start-ups.
For procurement from start-ups, costing, payment terms, eligibility etc have been liberalised, he said.
