$\"Shri$ <\/p>\n

New Delhi [India], August 30: <\/b>Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh<\/b> isn\u2019t mincing words: India can\u2019t beg for weapons and call itself secure. From Operation Sindoor to home-built warships, the defence minister made it clear, self-reliance isn\u2019t a choice, it\u2019s survival.<\/span><\/p>\n

Operation Sindoor: Brief War, Amazing Prep<\/b><\/h3>\n
At the Delhi conclave on \u201cWarfare in the 21st Century,\u201d<\/strong> Shri Rajnath Singh pointed straight at Operation Sindoor. What looked like a brief clash with Pakistan was actually years of planning, training and betting on homegrown kit. The strikes weren\u2019t just about taking out targets; they were proof that India\u2019s forces, using indigenous weapons, can act fast and finish the job.<\/span><\/p>\n
\u201cVictory and defeat play out in days. But the prep takes years,\u201d Shri Rajnath Singh said, crediting the armed forces\u2019 reliance on Indian-built systems.<\/span><\/p>\n
Sudarshan Chakra Mission: Air Defence For A New Era<\/b><\/h3>\n
Raksha Mantri called the Sudarshan Chakra Mission a \u201cgame-changer.\u201d<\/strong> The plan: within a decade, shield India\u2019s critical sites with advanced air defence tech, both defensive and offensive.<\/span><\/p>\n
He flagged last week\u2019s DRDO milestone: an indigenous system that knocked out three targets at once. Early days, yes, but a serious step toward making India\u2019s skies too hot for any intruder.<\/span><\/p>\n
Warships, Engines, And The Big Push<\/b><\/h3>\n
\u201cAll our warships are now being built in India,\u201d<\/strong> Shri Rajnath Singh declared, reminding the audience about stealth frigates INS Himgiri and INS Udaygiri. Both are loaded with advanced sensors and weapons, and both were built here, not abroad.<\/span><\/p>\n
Next on the list? Aero-engines. For decades, India struggled to build powerful aircraft engines. Now, the minister says, the prep is done and ground-level work begins. It\u2019s no longer a question of <\/span>if<\/span><\/i>. The new question: <\/span>how soon<\/span><\/i>?<\/span><\/p>\n
Defence Corridors: Up & Tn As Engines Of Growth<\/b><\/h3>\n
Shri Rajnath Singh highlighted the Defence Industrial Corridors in Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu as the hubs where \u201cMake in India\u201d<\/strong> isn\u2019t a slogan but a factory floor reality. With clusters of R&D and manufacturing already operational, the model could spread to other states.<\/span><\/p>\n
Exports prove the point. In 2014, India\u2019s defence exports barely touched \u20b9700 crore. Today, they\u2019re brushing \u20b924,000 crore. That\u2019s not just PSUs. Private players, start-ups, and even student innovators are on the board.<\/span><\/p>\n
From Import Lists To Home Builds<\/b><\/h3>\n
The government\u2019s Positive Indigenisation Lists have blocked over 5,500 items from being imported. Out of these, 3,000 are already being produced locally. Shri Rajnath Singh\u2019s pitch: less dependency, more capability.<\/span><\/p>\n
And it shows in numbers. Defence production has crossed \u20b91.5 lakh crore, with one-fourth coming from private industry. Raksha Mantri called this \u201cDefence Economics\u201d,<\/strong> not mere spending, but job creation, innovation and industrial lift.<\/span><\/p>\n
Breaking The Colonial Hangover<\/b><\/h3>\n
Remember the loss-making Ordnance Factory Board? Raksha Mantri reminded the audience it\u2019s now profitable, with \u20b91,600 crore in the green after restructuring. He called it \u201cfreedom from a colonial mindset,\u201d a swipe at the inefficiency India carried since British times.<\/span><\/p>\n
Reforms don\u2019t stop at factories. The FDI cap in defence is now 74%.<\/strong> Licensing has been simplified. Start-ups are getting space through iDEX, a platform where the government co-funds innovation.<\/span><\/p>\n
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Shri Rajnath Singh\u2019s message to young Indians: stop building apps only for food delivery, start building tech that can defend the nation.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Women At The Frontline<\/b><\/h3>\n
The minister also hailed women officers now flying fighter jets, sailing ships and holding ground at icy borders. For the armed forces, still one of India\u2019s most conservative institutions, that\u2019s a revolution.<\/span><\/p>\n
Global Pressures, Indian Resolve<\/b><\/h3>\n
\u201cWe seek no enemies, but we will not compromise our interests,\u201d<\/strong> Shri Rajnath Singh said. Farmers, small businesses, ordinary citizens, he linked defence directly to everyday welfare.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
The world can squeeze, but India, he claimed, emerges stronger under pressure. He also gave a reminder of Pokhran\u2019s lessons. Sanctions after 1998 forced India to build its own radars, missiles, drones and carriers. Today, he argued, India can defeat adversaries \u201cwithin minutes.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n
The Final Pitch: Self-Reliance As Survival<\/b><\/h3>\n
From terrorism to pandemics to wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, <\/span>Raksha Mantri<\/b><\/a> said the world has shown one clear truth: dependence is dangerous. \u201cAatmanirbhar Bharat in defence is not a slogan, but a roadmap,\u201d<\/strong> he insisted.<\/span><\/p>\n
India, he added, will not only secure itself but become a trusted partner for others. A decisive power in the 21st century, that\u2019s the goal.<\/span><\/p>\n
Also Read: India-Japan Economic Forum: PM Modi\u2019s Big Push for Business<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
New Delhi [India], August 30: Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh isn\u2019t mincing words: India can\u2019t beg for weapons and call itself secure. From Operation Sindoor to home-built warships, the defence … Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":44906,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[671],"class_list":["post-44905","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-national","tag-national","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/financialtelegraph.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44905","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/financialtelegraph.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/financialtelegraph.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/financialtelegraph.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/financialtelegraph.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=44905"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/financialtelegraph.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44905\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/financialtelegraph.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/44906"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/financialtelegraph.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=44905"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/financialtelegraph.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=44905"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/financialtelegraph.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=44905"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}