Page 17 - Rajnath Singh

India, US release fact sheet on MQ-9B deal, co-production initiatives

The drone deal is part of the broader efforts to strengthen defence ties between the United States and India

Rajnath Singh takes charge as defence minister; MoD's 100-day plan on track

Welfare of serving and retired soldiers and increased self-reliance in producing weapons and defence systems to be major focus areas of the Ministry of Defence's 100-day action plan

Will focus on strengthening security, military modernisation: Rajnath Singh

The new Narendra Modi government will focus on further strengthening national security by modernising the armed forces and boosting domestic defence manufacturing, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Thursday after taking charge of the office. Outlining his vision for the next five years, Singh said the government will work assiduously to increase defence exports to Rs 50,000 crore by 2028-29 from the current Rs 21,083 crore. The armed forces are being equipped with state-of-the-art weapons and platforms and they are ready to face every challenge, he told reporters after taking charge as defence minister for the second consecutive term. Singh also commended the military personnel for protecting the unity, integrity and sovereignty of the nation with valour and commitment, in comments that came amid the lingering border row with China in eastern Ladakh. "Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, we aim to further strengthen the security apparatus of the country, with

Rajnath takes charge, bats for developing self-reliance in defence mfg

A Member of Parliament from Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, Rajnath Singh, had taken up the responsibility to head the Ministry of Defence for the first time on June 1, 2019

BJP leader Mohan Charan Majhi takes oath as Chief Minister of Odisha

Four-time MLA and tribal leader Mohan Charan Majhi was on Wednesday sworn in as the first BJP chief minister of Odisha at a ceremony here attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, several Union ministers and chief ministers. Senior BJP leader and Patnagarh MLA KV Singh Deo and debutant from Nimapara assembly segment Pravati Parida took oath as deputy chief ministers. Governor Rabghubar Das administered the oath of secrecy and office to them at Janata Maidan. This is the first time that a BJP government has been formed in the eastern state. Apart from Modi, BJP chief JP Nadda, Union Ministers Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Bhupender Yadav, Dharmendra Pradhan, Jual Oram, Ashwini Vaishnaw and others attended the ceremony. Several chief ministers of BJP-ruled states including Uttar Pradesh, Goa, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Assam, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh and Uttarakhand were also present. Odisha's outgoing chief minister Naveen Patnaik also attended the ceremony. BJP for the first time got a

Rajnath is gearing up to deal with Agnipath, reform of theatre command

Under the previous Modi government, Rajnath Singh had assumed the office of the defence minister in June 2019. Prior to that, Singh had been the minister of home affairs since May 2014

BJP appoints Rajnath, Bhupendra Yadav to oversee selection of new Odisha CM

The BJP has appointed Union ministers Rajnath Singh and Bhupendra Yadav to oversee selection of the new chief minister of Odisha, a senior leader said on Monday. The saffron party on June 4 secured a majority by winning 78 seats in the 147-member Odisha Assembly. However, the party is yet to choose a leader who will be at the helm of the state. According to Vijay Pal Singh Tomar, the BJP's Odisha in-charge, the legislature party meeting will be held on Tuesday and the new government will take oath on June 12. Experienced leaders led by newly-appointed observers Rajnath Singh and Bhupender Yadav will hold a discussion with the legislators, MLA-elect Suresh Pujari, told reporters on his return from New Delhi on Monday. While the chance of senior Odisha MP Dharmendra Pradhan becoming the next chief minister of the state seems bleak after his induction into the Modi 3.0 government, the focus is now on Brajarajnagar MLA-elect Suresh Pujari, who returned from New Delhi on Monday. Beside

Modi-led NDA govt must tackle unemployment: NITI Aayog's ex-VC Rajiv Kumar

Prime Minister Narendra Modi led-NDA government in its third term must tackle the problem of unemployment in the country, especially in the unorganised sector and in small and medium enterprises, former NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Rajiv Kumar said on Monday. Kumar also emphasised that the government now must finalise the four labour codes as it has been delayed beyond expectations. "We must recognise that post-COVID economic recovery has been a K-shaped recovery. I think the most important reforms that the Modi government must take is one to tackle the unemployment problem, especially in the unorganised and the small and medium enterprises," he told PTI in an interview. According to a recent International Labour Organization (ILO) report, the share of unemployed youths in India's total unemployed population was nearly 83 per cent in 2022. "Therefore the large corporations have done very well and, and also those who are highly skilled have done well. But at the lower end, people are ..

Meet Rajnath Singh, a quintessential grassroots leader from Uttar Pradesh

The 72-year-old Singh, whose illustrious political career spanned over five decades, on Sunday took oath as a member of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Cabinet

NDA identified as family that upholds coalition dharma: Rajnath hails Modi

Senior BJP leader Rajnath Singh on Friday said the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government has been identified as a family that "upholds coalition dharma" and asserted "coalition is not a compulsion but a commitment" for it. In a long post in Hindi on X, he also congratulated and extended his wishes to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on being unanimously elected again as the Leader of the NDA Parliamentary Party and the Leader of the House in the Lok Sabha. Singh on Friday proposed Modi's name as the leader of the NDA Parliamentary Party and the proposal was seconded by his party colleagues Amit Shah and Nitin Gadkari as well as top NDA leaders. "As his Cabinet member and colleague, I have worked with him very closely for the last ten years, and his working capacity, efficiency, vision and credibility in the country are acknowledged by all. It is a matter of great joy for all of us that the NDA government, which has been serving India and Indians for the last ten years, has ...

NDA MPs may elect Modi as their leader on Friday, pave way for his 3rd term

Newly elected MPs of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance are expected to meet on Friday to elect Narendra Modi as their leader, paving the way for him to take oath as prime minister for a third term. Sources said after Modi's election as the leader of NDA MPs, senior members of the alliance like TDP's N Chandrababu Naidu and JD(U)'s Nitish Kumar will join the prime minister for a meeting with President Droupadi Murmu to present her the list of parliamentarians supporting him. He may be sworn in over the weekend, possibly Sunday, they added. The NDA has 293 MPs, comfortably above the majority mark of 272 in the 543-member Lok Sabha. Senior BJP leaders, including Union ministers Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh, held deliberations through the day on Thursday as the party set in motion government formation efforts. They met at BJP president J P Nadda's residence in what was seen as part of the party's exercise to reach out to allies over issues like their share of ministerial berths a

Amit Shah, other BJP leaders meet at Nadda's residence; discuss portfolios

Senior BJP leaders, including Union ministers Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh, held deliberations on Thursday as the ruling National Democratic Alliance set in motion its government formation efforts under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. They met at BJP president J P Nadda's residence in what is seen as part of the party's exercise to reach out to allies over issues like their share of ministerial berths and pick the probables from within their party for the coalition government. The NDA MPs are expected to meet on Friday to formally elect Modi as their leader, with the new government likely to be sworn in over the weekend. Preparing to take oath for a third straight term as the head of a coalition government, Modi had on Wednesday chaired a meeting of the ruling alliance's members who unanimously elected him as its leader. Leaders of the BJP's ally Janata Dal (United) also held deliberations with party president and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. Though the region

LS polls: Inflation higher when Congress governed at Centre, says Rajnath

Inflation was higher whenever the Congress governed at the Centre, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Tuesday and asserted that India's unemployment rate is the lowest among big countries. He also targeted the AAP government in Punjab, saying it has turned the state into 'Kangla Punjab' (bankrupt Punjab). Singh made the remarks at election rallies in Punjab's Ferozepur and Anandpur Sahib parliamentary constituencies. Attacking the Congress, the Union minister said the inflation rate was 2 per cent from 1947 to 1950, and it "increased to 13.8 per cent during Nehru's time. From 1964 to 1966, it was over 10 per cent". During Morarji Desai's government, the first thing that was done was to lift restrictions on the movement of farm produce from one state to another, Singh said. As a result, inflation, which had touched 30 per cent, came down to 7 per cent, he claimed. "From 1947 to 2022, if you go by the record on inflation, whenever the Congress governed, it increased manifold,"

First time hearing about work from jail, Union min Rajnath slams Kejriwal

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday took a dig at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, saying he had heard about "work from home" but it is the first time that he is hearing of "work from jail". Addressing an election rally in Khanna for the BJP's Fatehgarh Sahib candidate Gejja Ram Valmiki, Singh said, "Here, AAP is the ruling party. You don't need to be told much about what kind of work it is doing." "There is also an AAP government in Delhi. But the AAP leader was jailed in the liquor scam," Singh, said referring to Kejriwal's arrest in a money-laundering case linked to the alleged excise policy scam. The defence minister said he thinks every leader should have the moral courage to resign from their post if they face any allegation until being cleared of the charges. This is morality, he said. "AAP leader Kejriwal was jailed in the liquor scam. Even after that, he says he will continue to occupy the chief minister's post. He says he will work from jail," Singh said. The

Congress, AAP responsible for crisis of credibility in politics: Rajnath

Senior BJP leader and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday attacked opposition INDIA bloc partners Congress and AAP, alleging that they are responsible for the crisis of credibility in Indian politics. Singh made the remarks while addressing an election meeting in favour of BJP's West Delhi Lok Sabha constituency candidate Kamaljeet Sehrawat, hours before campaigning for the May 25 round of polling ended. Targeting Congress and AAP, which are contesting the general elections in the national capital under a seat-sharing arrangement, he said, "The leaders of the Congress and the AAP have contributed the most to the crisis of credibility in the politics of India." While the AAP is contesting four seats, the Congress has fielded candidates from three seats. The seven Lok Sabha constituencies in Delhi go to polls in the sixth round of the seven-phase general elections. Taking a swipe at Delhi Chief Minister and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal on continuing on the post despite being ..

Rajnath slams Kejriwal's 'work from jail', targets over Maliwal's assault

Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday slammed Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal during a poll meeting here in the national capital, saying he has disappointed the people of Delhi by insisting on running his government from jail. Singh who held a roadshow in support of North West Delhi candidate Yogendra Chandolia also asserted that the BJP-led alliance will win over 400 seats and that Narendra Modi will return as prime minister for a third time in a row. "It has happened for the first time in the history of India that a jailed chief minister has asserted that he will run the government from there. We have heard about work from home, work from office but it is the first time that we are witnessing work from jail. Kejriwal has disappointed the people of Delhi," Singh said. The defence minister also lashed at Kejriwal over the alleged assault on AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal at his residence. "A woman was beaten in the 'sheeshmahal' (a reference to Delhi CM's official residence) a

LS polls highlights: Biggest allegation I have faced is owning 250 pairs of clothes, says PM Modi

From the elections in 49 LS seats to Rahul Gandhi's warning to poll officials to abide by their oath to the constitution, catch all the latest election news here

Int'l bodies must take note of human rights violations in PoK: Rajnath

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday said that international bodies should take cognisance of human rights violations in Pakistan occupied Kashmir. Addressing an election rally in Odisha's Khurda, he said, "Human rights are being violated in PoK... international human rights agencies should take cognisance of the happenings in PoK." He claimed that the people of PoK now desire to join India instead of remaining under the Pakistani administration. "I had earlier said we need not attack anyone, they will come on their own. Two days ago, I saw a video in which people of PoK were seen uprooting a Pakistani flag-post," he said. "PoK is and will remain an integral part of India," he asserted. He said that barring a few stray incidents in Jammu and Kashmir, terrorism has been reduced to zero under the NDA rule, while several terror attacks took place under the previous UPA regime. "In 2008, our IPS officers fell to bullets in Mumbai (26/11 attack)... what was the then Congress gover

Lok Sabha elections: On Rajnath Singh's seat, SP looks to put up a fight

Among the young Muslim population, there are concerns about the BJP government

Indian Army ammo imports down significantly due to indigenisation: Official

Senior defence officials said the rise of the private sector industry in the field of ammunition has helped the force in a big way to achieve this