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Rajnath Singh
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said India's domestic defence production has nearly quadrupled over the last decade to around Rs 1.80 lakh crore, while exports have surged to nearly Rs 39,000 crore, as the country moves steadily towards self-reliance in the defence sector. Singh made the remarks after laying the foundation stone of a Rs 472-crore facility for the overhaul of T-series battle tanks at the 57-year-old Vehicle Factory Jabalpur (VFJ), an ordnance unit here. "Domestic defence (arms and ammunition) production, which stood at Rs 46,000 crore in 2014, has now reached approximately Rs 1.80 lakh crore. Similarly, defence exports have increased from around Rs 1,000 crore in 2014 to nearly Rs 39,000 crore," he said. The government has set a target of achieving defence exports worth Rs 50,000 crore by 2028-29, the defence minister said. "India's defence sector has now taken firm steps towards complete self-reliance. The world's perception of India is changing, and the
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday laid the foundation stone of a Rs 472-crore facility for the overhaul of T-series battle tanks at Vehicle Factory Jabalpur (VFJ), an ordnance unit in Madhya Pradesh. Under the upcoming project, the facility will overhaul 80 T-72 and T-90 tanks annually, officials said. The Indian Army requires the overhaul of around 230 such tanks every year, they said. The Heavy Vehicles Factory, Avadi (in Chennai), currently overhauls around 150 tanks annually. The new facility at the 57-year-old VFJ will bridge the remaining shortfall, the officials said. VFJ is a premier military vehicle manufacturing unit operating under Armoured Vehicles Nigam Limited and the Ministry of Defence. Established in 1969, the factory initially produced Shaktiman 3T vehicles in collaboration with Germany's MAN, as well as Nissan 1T and Jonga vehicles in collaboration with Japan's Nissan Motors Co. The factory complex is spread over 330 acres, while its adjoining estate c
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has approved the transfer of DRDO-developed technologies of all conventional missile systems to the Indian defence industry for production within the country. The defence ministry, making the announcement, said the move is an "important milestone" in promoting greater participation of the domestic industries in the defence ecosystem. "The provision will enable successful transition of missile system development to industrial production, reflecting the continued efforts of DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation) to leverage the capabilities of the Indian industry for the development and manufacture of advanced defence systems," the ministry said. It said the objective is to enhance domestic manufacturing capabilities, strengthen the defence industrial base and create opportunities for the participation of Indian MSMEs and other technology partners in the supply chain.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday virtually laid the foundation stone for five brownfield expansion projects of the Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers, and Yantra India Ltd, from Kolkata. Singh was accompanied by West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari during the foundation laying ceremony here. The projects comprise three facilities of GRSE and two of Yantra India. Speaking on the occasion, Singh said foundation was laid for five projects worth nearly Rs 3,500 crore in West Bengal. "The state will take steps to usher in a new renaissance of development. The news of closures and lockouts of factories in West Bengal has now been replaced by the launch of new projects," he said. As part of its capacity expansion, GRSE has signed lease agreements with the Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, Kolkata (SMPK) for two small shipyards on either bank of the Hooghly, along with a 32-acre riverside property at Raichak, to enhance its capabilities in warship construction and refit, a
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday described preventive healthcare as the "future model" of the healthcare system, citing changing disease patterns, rising treatment costs and India's ageing population as key reasons for shifting the focus towards early detection and prevention. Addressing the inauguration of a Mahajan Imaging and Labs facility here, Singh said non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, cancer, kidney failure and mental health disorders were increasingly becoming major health concerns. "These diseases do not develop in a day. They develop gradually in the body over years. High sugar, high cholesterol, fatty liver and borderline blood pressure are all warning signs. The future of healthcare lies in identifying these warning signs in time," he said. Singh said preventive healthcare also made economic sense as treating advanced diseases could cost lakhs of rupees, while annual health check-ups, lifestyle counselling, early screenin
Military projects worth over Rs 8.75 lakh crore have been approved in the last one year as the government is committed to modernise the armed forces to bolster India's combat capabilities, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Friday. In a message to the armed forces on the eve of Independence Day, Singh also said that India has emerged as a major power in global defence manufacturing, with exports of military hardware surging to Rs 38,424 crore in 2025-26 driven by a significant push toward indigenous production. "The government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is according the highest priority to the modernisation of the defence forces driven by a self-reliant and future-ready defence sector," Singh said. Highlighting the "transformative shift" in the defence sector in the last 12 years, Singh asserted that India has become a nation which is effectively catering to its own security needs, while emerging as a global defence manufacturing hub and a net defence
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday slammed Pakistan for making terrorism a "part of its state policy", and said there will be no talks with the country other than on Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir, which is a "part of India illegally occupied" by it. In his address at the Kargil War Memorial here, the defence minister also said that Operation Sindoor clearly demonstrated what will be the fate of those who attempt to threaten India with terrorism, asserting that the country can respond to any misadventure by Pakistan in a manner "beyond their imagination". The occasion was the 27th anniversary of Kargil Vijay Diwas, with Singh describing India's victory in the Kargil war in 1999 as "a diamond studded in the crown of Bharat Mata". Recalling the Operation Sindoor conducted in May 2025 in response to the Pahalgam terror attack, he said the Indian armed forces dealt a severe blow to the backers and supporters of terrorism. "Operation Sindoor made it clear what the fate will be of those
Artificial Intelligence is bringing rapid progress in medical sciences but it cannot replace human compassion, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Monday, urging budding doctors to work with empathy towards patients and their families. Addressing the 22nd convocation ceremony of King George's Medical University in his Lok Sabha constituency, Lucknow, the minister said new technologies such as artificial intelligence, synthetic biology, gene editing and precision medicine are transforming both the direction and the landscape of healthcare. Therefore, doctors must always continue the process of learning, he said. "Medical science is evolving rapidly today... Today is the era of Artificial Intelligence. No field remains untouched by it, including your own. "Yet, Artificial Intelligence cannot assure a mother that her child will recover (from illness). It cannot hold the hand of an elderly person, and say, 'Do not worry; we will set everything right'. "Technology can be intelligent
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday asserted that India is setting new benchmarks in medical research and developing indigenous solutions to global health challenges through gene therapy and nuclear medicine. India's health system is also emerging as more self-reliant, he said addressing the 22nd convocation ceremony of the King George's Medical University, Lucknow. "Today, India's health system has emerged as more self-reliant, accessible, affordable, modern and people-centric as compared to earlier times. Today, India is developing indigenous solutions to global health challenges through gene therapy, nuclear medicine, and other modern technologies," Singh said. The Lok Sabha MP said the country's scientists have successfully demonstrated an indigenous gene therapy for the treatment of haemophilia, while scientists at an institute in Pune have developed a state-of-the-art nanomedicine for treating breast cancer. The 'Production Linked Incentive' scheme, he said, has given fr
Future wars may be fought with Artificial Intelligence, but they will still be won by national resolve, trained soldiers and robust military power, Defence Minister Rajanth Singh said on Saturday. Speaking at the commissioning ceremony of INA Mahendragiri here, Singh also said Andhra Pradesh has emerged as a new powerhouse of India's defence and aerospace manufacturing. "Future wars may be fought with Artificial Intelligence, but they will still be won by national resolve, trained soldiers and the capable military power. So, I would say that new technologies and conventional platforms are not opposed to each other, but supplement each other, complete each other. Without conventional platforms, new technologies are incomplete in themselves," he said. According to Singh, it is certain that new technologies have certainly reshaped warfare, but they have not diminished the role of conventional warfare means. The strong conventional capability that is still necessary for the fulfilment
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday commissioned Mahendragiri, the sixth Project 17A indigenous stealth frigate, into the Indian Navy's Eastern Fleet here, marking another milestone in India's journey towards defence self-reliance and indigenous warship construction. The commissioning ceremony was held in the presence of senior naval officials and other dignitaries at the naval dockyard in the port city. "INS Mahendragiri can effectively counter threats from the air, enemy vessels on the surface and submarines beneath the sea. As a blue-water warship, it can protect India's maritime interests not only near the coast but also in distant and deep oceans for weeks at a time," said Singh, addressing the commissioning ceremony at Eastern Naval Command (ENC). Congratulating Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL), the Indian Navy, the crew of INS Mahendragiri and the people of the country, Singh said the warship reflects India's growing defence manufacturing capability and commitme
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday said that after Operation Sindoor, the trust in "made-in-India" defence platforms has received a boost. In his address at an event here, he also reiterated that "today, our defence production has reached over Rs 1.78 lakh crore, and about 8-9 years ago, it stood at approximately Rs 46,000 crore". The Union minister asserted that after Operation Sindoor, "trust in made-in-India defence platforms has got enhanced". Operation Sindoor was India's decisive military action conducted in May 2025 in response to the Pahalgam terror attack. Several defence platforms built in India had played a key role in it. Singh said, "Defence exports too have reached a record over Rs 38,000 crore, and in 2013-14, it stood at just Rs 686 crore, and it has grown today 57 times. And, I have not sought the full report, but, currently it should be hovering around Rs 40,000 crore, is my estimate." In his address, he also spoke of India's journey in various sectors i
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday said conventional warfare and means are still relevant today as they were in 1947, and noted that a nation that fulfils its own needs can march ahead with confidence. He was speaking at the ground-breaking ceremony for a 10,000-tonne aluminium extrusion press at the state-owned Yantra India Limited (YIL) in Ambajhari, Nagpur. The new facility will help reduce dependence on imports of critical aluminium components. Singh said supply chains can get disrupted when war erupts. "In such a scenario, every nation wants essential items to be manufactured domestically," he said. A nation that fulfils its own needs can march ahead confidently, Singh said. "Conventional warfare and means are still relevant, as they were in 1947," Singh said, adding that they would remain crucial even in 2047. This is why military industrial bases would remain important even in future, he added. Singh noted that India's defence production surged to more than Rs 1,78,
India's annual defence production touched an all-time high of Rs 1.78 lakh crore in the financial year 2025-26, the defence ministry said on Wednesday. The milestone represents a 15.6 per cent growth over the previous fiscal year's output of Rs 1.54 lakh crore and a staggering 110 per cent increase since 2020-21 when the figure was Rs 84,643 crore, it said. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said the "remarkable rise" in India's defence production in recent years is the result of the collective efforts of the Department of Defence Production and all other stakeholders. "This upward trajectory is a clear indicator of the country's expanding defence industrial base," he said. "With sustained policy support, several new initiatives, increased private sector participation, and growing export capabilities, the defence production sector is poised for continued acceleration in the years ahead," he said.
Asserting that new recruits to the armed forces must be mentally prepared for the evolving nature of modern conflict, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday said major powers no longer hold an edge on the battlefield as even smaller nations can inflict significant damage using specialised tactics. Addressing the Combined Graduation Parade at the Indian Air Force Academy near here, Singh also said emerging technologies have altered the very definition of warfare. "Earlier, it seemed that the big powers had a decisive edge in the battlefield. But now, comparatively, even small powers can cause heavy losses with their small but dangerous weapons and new tactics. My purpose in telling you all this is that you should be mentally ready for any form of warfare," the Defence Minister said. Congratulating the female pilots commissioned by the Indian Air Force, he said their induction makes the IAF even more powerful, balanced and robust, which demonstrates the strength of the inclusive