India positioned to become net security provider in immediate region and beyond: PM

Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh on Thursday said India is well positioned to become a net security provider in the South Asian region and beyond.

Laying the foundation stone of National Defence University here, Dr. Singh said: "Our defence cooperation has grown, and today, we have unprecedented access to high technology, capital and partnerships. We have also sought to assume our responsibility for stability in the Indian Ocean Region. We are well positioned, therefore, to become a net provider of security in our immediate region and beyond."

Asserting that the government is making defence acquisition less vulnerable to unethical practices, Dr. Singh said: "Our government is conscious of the fact that adequate defence preparedness is critically dependent on sound defence acquisition policies. We have paid close attention to this and have continually reformed those policies to ensure that our armed forces have the best equipment."

"We have also been guided by the objective of making our defence acquisition transparent, smooth, efficient and less vulnerable to unethical practices. We will continue to seek the highest standards of probity in defence acquisition," he added.

He further said the country's deterrence capabilities have matured in the last nine years and have taken concrete shape.

"Over the last nine years, our deterrence capabilities have also matured and have been given concrete shape. At the same time, we are better equipped today to deal with non-conventional threats, especially in the cyber and space domains. We are implementing a national architecture for cyber security and have taken steps to create an office of a national cyber security coordinator," he added.

The Prime Minister also said that government has placed special emphasis on strengthening the capabilities of navy which is fully equipped to operate.

"In the last few years, we have added significantly to the land forces to protect our borders and inducted new equipment to increase the Army's firepower. Our ability to service our frontiers with improved infrastructure and enhanced air mobility is considerably greater today than in the past. We have enhanced the full spectrum of capabilities of our Air Force and are equipping it to remain at the cutting edge of technology for the decades that lie ahead. Not only are our borders stronger, our seas are also more secure," he said.

"The capabilities of our sea-borne forces to guard our coastline and offshore assets has seen enormous expansion in the last five years. We have placed special emphasis on strengthening the capabilities of our Navy, which is fully equipped to operate at great distances from our shores, protect our maritime interests, respond to natural disasters and provide humanitarian assistance to the need," he added.