New Delhi, Aug 15: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said that the country is becoming ‘Aatmanirbhar’ in Defence and is emerging as a global manufacturing hub due to the steps taken by the government in the last few years.
During his address to the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort, PM Modi pointed out that there was a time when the majority of the Defence budget was used to procure weapons and equipment from abroad.
Now, the government is focussed on indigenous manufacturing to make the nation self-reliant.
The Prime Minister hailed the Ministry of Defence and the Armed Forces for taking a series of decisions.
There are over 5,600 items that are being/will be procured only from the Indian industry after designated timelines.
India, which was once completely dependent on import of Defence equipment, is today exporting to numerous countries.
Annual Defence production hit a record high of Rs 1.27 lakh crore in FY 2023-24.
In the same fiscal, Defence exports touched a record high of Rs 21,083 crore, an increase of 32.5 per cent over FY 2022-23.
According to the Ministry of Defence, there has been a massive jump in Defence exports in the first quarter of FY 2024-25.
“Rs 6,915 crore worth of Defence equipment has been exported in the first quarter, an increase of 78 per cent from the first quarter of FY 2023-24, when the figure was Rs 3,885 crore,” the ministry added.
PM Modi said there was a time when the country was a victim of terror attacks; but today it is bold and strong, with the “Armed Forces giving a befitting reply to anyone who tries to harm the sovereignty, unity and integrity of the country”.
He asserted that the nation is proud of its brave soldiers who selflessly serve the motherland.
“Be it the Army, Navy, Air Force or the space sector, we are witnessing the ever-growing Nari Shakti of our country,” PM Modi said.
In his speech, the PM also touched upon the 2016 surgical strikes in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir and the 2019 air strikes into the neighbouring country to highlight the Indian military’s capabilities. Both strikes were a direct military response to Pakistan-backed terror strikes in Jammu and Kashmir.
There was a time when the country was a victim of terror attacks, but now it’s bold and strong, with the armed forces giving a befitting reply to anyone who tries to harm the sovereignty, unity, and integrity of the country, the defence ministry statement said, quoting from the PM’s speech.
“He asserted that the nation is proud of its brave soldiers who selflessly serve the motherland,” it added.
