World Sees India's defence strength: Goyal on 11 yrs of 'Make in India'

As the 'Make in India' initiative marks 11 years of success, Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday lauded the centre for its achievements in indigenous defence production.

"The world is a witness to India's defence manufacturing strength today! Guided by the vision of PM Narendra Modi, the nation has scripted landmark achievements in indigenous defence production, reflecting the success of the Make In India initiative," Goyal posted on X.

Meanwhile, India today sucessfully launch the Intermediate Range Agni-Prime Missile from a Rail based Mobile launcher system, which is designed to cover a range of up to 2,000 km. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh congratulated the concerned agencies on the launch.

"India has carried out the successful launch of Intermediate Range Agni-Prime Missile from a Rail based Mobile launcher system. This next generation missile is designed to cover a range up to 2000 km and is equipped with various advanced features," Singh posted on X.

The Defence Minister asserted that the success of the flight test has put India in the group of selected nations that have developed "canisterised launch system from on the move rail network".

"Congratulations to DRDO, Strategic Forces Command (SFC) and the Armed Forces on successful test of Intermediate Range Agni-Prime missile. This successful flight," Singh said.

"The first-of-its-kind launch carried out today from specially designed Rail based Mobile Launcher, has the capability to move on Rail network without any pre-conditions that allows User to have a cross country mobility and launch within a short reaction time with reduced visibility," he added.

Earlier on Tuesday, Rajnath Singh highlighted that India's vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat was not merely to manufacture for its own needs, but to develop capabilities that allow India to become a credible source of advanced technology and high-quality products for the world.

Singh and his Moroccan counterpart Abdelatif Loudyi jointly inaugurated Tata Advanced Systems Limited's (TASL) state-of-the-art defence manufacturing facility in Berrechid, Morocco, on Tuesday. Rajnath Singh described the occasion as a historic moment in the evolving strategic partnership between India and Morocco.

Spread over 20,000 square metres, the facility will undertake production of the indigenously developed Wheeled Armoured Platform (WhAP) 8x8, jointly designed by TASL and India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

"For India, this initiative reflects the spirit of 'Atmanirbhar Bharat.' A self-reliant India, which is also an active and responsible player at the global level. The goal of our self-reliant India is not only to manufacture for its own needs but to create an ecosystem where India becomes a credible source of advanced technology and high-quality products for the world," Singh said.

"For India, self-reliance does not mean isolation rather, we aim to develop strategic autonomy under self-reliance. We want to develop such capabilities that allow us to independently protect our nation while also maintaining engagement with global partners," he added.