NEW DELHI, July 18: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said in the coming years the Indian soldiers would be armed with such weapons which the opponents would not even think of.
Speaking at a naval event in Delhi, Modi said, “We have the talent. It’s not smart to let my soldiers go to the field with the same 10 weapons that the world has… I can’t take the risk. My jawan will have what the opponent won’t even think of…” he said.
The prime minister said a new defence ecosystem was being developed in the country where imports were being brought down and exports are on the rise. “We developed the habit of being dependent on foreign countries for even the simplest products. Like drug addicts, we were addicted to the products imported from abroad. To change this mindset, we worked on a mission mode after 2014, after learning from the approach of the past, to create a new ecosystem of defence with the help of ‘Sabka Prayas’.”
He said ‘aatmanirbharta’ (self-reliance) in defence is very crucial for the India of 21st century. “Creating 75 indigenous techs for the Navy by August 15 next year is the first step. The goal should be to take India’s defence to unprecedented heights by the time we celebrate 100 years of Independence.”
Modi said in the last eight years, his government increased the defence budget and ensured that it was useful in the development of defence manufacturing ecosystem in India. “A large part of the budget earmarked for purchase of defence equipment is being spent on procurement from Indian companies. In the last four-five years, our defence imports have come down by about 21 per cent. We are moving fast from being a major defence importer to becoming big exporter,” he added.
The PM unveiled ‘SPRINT’ (Supporting Pole-Vaulting in R&D through iDEX, NIIO & TDAC), a collaborative project of NIIO and DIO. Earlier, defence minister Rajnath Singh said, “We’ve achieved self-reliance in many areas due to which, a new image of India has emerged in the world. Under ‘AatmaNirbhar Abhiyaan’, Navy spent over 64% of its capital budget for domestic procurement in last financial year and this year it would l increase up to 70%.”
(Manas Dasgupta)