New Delhi (IANS) | Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said on Friday that a strong army not only protects the border but also protects the country’s culture and economy. Our aim is to build a strong, self-reliant and prosperous nation, which meets its own needs as well as the needs of friendly countries, the defense minister said at a program here. This is the period of renaissance. It is time to re-establish India as a global superpower.
The Defense Minister said, India is not only an emerging but also a resurgent power which is regaining its place on the global economic map.
He began his address by saying that till the 17th century, India’s economy was remarkably strong, accounting for more than one-fourth of the world’s GDP. But it lost its glory due to weak army and political slavery. Singh stressed that the government is working on both these fronts to ensure that India regains its former glory.
No stone is being left unturned to build a strong, young and tech-savvy armed force with the help of a strong defense industry manufacturing state-of-the-art weapons and equipment indigenously, he added. Along with this, efforts are on to get rid of the colonial mindset.
Citing a report by Morgan Stanley, he said the investment firm, which named India among the ‘Fragile 5’ economies in 2013, recently said the country would be the third largest economy by 2027.
Rajnath Singh mentioned several reforms undertaken by the government to facilitate the economic development of the country. These include direct tax reforms, GST and steps to increase ease of doing business. He said that there has been a revolutionary change in all sectors and foreign investors today see India as an attractive destination.
The Defense Minister said that several steps have been taken to achieve complete ‘self-reliance’ in the manufacture of weapons and technologies. Major decisions include the notification of four positive indigenization lists of 411 items by the armed forces and another four lists of 4,666 items for DPSUs, besides setting up of defense industrial corridors in Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.
Highlighting the positive results achieved due to the efforts of the government, Rajnath Singh said that the record defense production of over Rs 1 lakh crore in the financial year 2022-23 and the all-time high defense exports of about Rs 16,000 crore are proof of the huge progress in the defense sector. Is. He said that the startup friendly ecosystem created by the government has created more than 100 unicorns in the country. Defense R&D and manufacturing have also seen a significant increase in the number of startups.
Rajnath Singh also envisioned a developed India that would ensure that universal values like democracy, religious freedom, dignity and world peace are established across the world.
Together, let us dream of an India where people have a common spirit of nation building, where all Indians work together without any discrimination, he said. Let us dream of an India where people are not judged by their caste and religion, but by their knowledge and character. Where every Indian gets human rights and they are committed to their duties. Let us dream of an India that is strong enough to defend itself and ready to stand up against any injustice anywhere in the world.
–IANS
