New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday said the Indian armed forces have been given both the freedom and resources to respond decisively to threats, including by striking adversaries inside their own territory.
Addressing an event here, the Defence Minister asserted that there is a clear distinction between peace and weakness. “If any country promotes terrorism against India, there will be no dialogue; instead, our defence forces will deliver a befitting response,” he stated.
He underlined that while India believes in peace and does not seek war or territorial occupation, peace born of fear is condemnable, whereas war fought for peace is worthy of reverence.
Singh said adversaries had attempted to undermine India’s security through multiple means, including misleading the youth in Jammu and Kashmir, funding anti-India activities, spreading terrorism and creating societal divisions. The government, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, had foiled these designs through rehabilitation, de-radicalisation and creation of employment opportunities. He noted that Jammu and Kashmir has witnessed unprecedented progress since the abrogation of Article 370.
Highlighting India’s counter-terror strategy, the Defence Minister referred to surgical strikes, the Balakot airstrike and Operation Sindoor, which targeted terrorists and their handlers. He added that the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty sent a clear message that “blood and water cannot flow together.”
On the changing nature of warfare, Singh said space and cyberspace have emerged as new domains alongside land, air and sea. Technologies such as artificial intelligence, drones, autonomous systems and precision weapons are transforming the battlefield. The government aims to make India a nation that develops advanced technologies indigenously and has shifted defence policy from reactive to proactive.
He pointed out that defence production has risen from around Rs 40,000 crore before 2014 to approximately Rs 1.80 lakh crore, while exports have grown 56-fold to over Rs 38,000 crore. The target is to achieve defence exports of Rs 50,000 crore by 2029. Indigenous systems such as Akashteer, Akash missile, Pinaka, Astra, Prachand and Dhruv helicopters, Tejas fighter, Arjun tank and INS Vikrant reflect this progress. All 16 Defence Public Sector Undertakings are now profit-making, and the defence budget has increased from Rs 2.5 lakh crore to nearly Rs 8 lakh crore over the past 12 years.
Singh emphasised India’s strategic autonomy amid geopolitical uncertainties and its focus on self-reliance. Over 16,000 MSMEs are engaged in defence production, and investment proposals worth about Rs 70,000 crore have been received for the Defence Industrial Corridors. The number of defence start-ups has grown from a few dozen in 2018 to more than 2,000.
The Defence Minister expressed confidence that by 2047, India will achieve the goal of Viksit Bharat and emerge as a leader in technology, economy and defence.
(IANS)
