Page 18 - Rajnath Singh

India logs all-time high defence production value at over Rs 1.26 trillion

According to an official press release by the defence ministry, 79.2 per cent of the production was undertaken by the DPSUs and the other PSUs while 20.8 per cent by the private players

Agniveer controversy explained: From Rahul Gandhi's claim to Army response

What is the Agniveer scheme and how has Ajay Kumar's death sparked fresh debate on the controversial army recruitment scheme

Rajnath lied about compensation to families of martyred Agniveers: Rahul

Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday alleged that Defence Minister Rajnath Singh "lied" in Parliament about the issue of compensation to families of martyred Agniveers and demanded an apology for it. The Congress leader also shared a video on X purportedly of the father of a deceased Agniveer who stated that Rajnath Singh had claimed that Rs 1 crore compensation had been given to the next of kin of martyred Agniveers but no such assistance was received by his family. Sharing the video message posted by her brother, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also accused the BJP of "insulting the sacrifice of the families" who gave up their sons for the country In his video, Rahul Gandhi said that he had stated in his speech in Parliament that the protection of truth is the basis of every religion. "In reply, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, before Lord Shiva's photo, lied to the country, its armed forces and Agniveers about compensation," Gandhi said in the video.

Agniveer scheme brought after lot of thought: Rajnath's reply to Rahul

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh rebutted Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi's claims in the Lok Sabha on the Agnipath military recruitment scheme on Monday, saying it was rolled out after taking suggestions from 158 organisations. Singh, who intervened when Gandhi was speaking on the Motion of Thanks to the President's address, also said that an Agniveer who lays down his life in the line of duty gets a compensation of Rs 1 crore. The Union minister asked Gandhi not to mislead Parliament and also requested Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to expunge the former Congress president's claims on the Agnipath scheme. Referring to the military recruitment scheme, Gandhi claimed that the government regards the Agniveers as "use-and-throw labourers" and does not even give them the status of a "shaheed (martyr)". Intervening, the defence minister said, "I would like to humbly request the leader of the opposition not to try to mislead Parliament. Regarding the Agniveer scheme, direct communication wa

'Aap Hindu ho hi nahi': Rahul Gandhi attacks Modi govt in Lok Sabha

Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi criticises Modi government's Hindu stance, Agniveer scheme, and misuse of agencies such as the ED in Lok Sabha

Budget 2024: How can India achieve Rs 3 trillion defence production goal?

Centre has set annual defence production target of Rs 3 trillion by FY29, which would be an over three-fold jump from current levels

Reforms in armed forces necessary to maintain supremacy during wars: Murmu

Nearly 70 per cent of the total procurement of defence forces was sourced from domestic firms last year, President Droupadi Murmu said on Thursday, outlining the government's focus to boost production of critical military hardware within India. In an address to a joint sitting of Parliament, Murmu said modernisation of the armed forces is essential for a strong India and that reforms in the military should be a continuous process to ensure that it maintains "supremacy" during wars. Listing steps to boost domestic defence production, she said the reforms undertaken in the sector have resulted in India now manufacturing defence equipment worth more than Rs one lakh crore. The president said the BrahMos missile deal with the Philippines has strengthened India's standing in the defence export sector. "Modernisation of our armed forces is essential for a strong India. Reforms in our armed forces should be a continuous process so that our forces maintain their supremacy during wars," sh

Om Birla vs K Suresh in LS Speaker election as INDIA puts forth nominee

Opposition candidate K Suresh will be contesting against NDA's Om Birla, in the third election for the Speaker post since independence

Rajnath Singh meets top ministers to discuss Parliament House strategy

A meeting of the top BJP leaders is expected to be held at Defence Minister Rajnath Singh's residence here on Tuesday evening to discuss the names of the candidate for the Lok Sabha Speaker and Deputy Speaker. Some of the NDA constituents are also expected to participate in the meeting, sources said. The election for the Lok Sabha speaker's post will be held on June 26, two days after the first session of the Parliament begins. Meanwhile, a separate meeting of the Maharashtra BJP core group will be held at the party headquarters this evening to discuss the party's strategy for the assembly polls due to be held in the state later this year, sources said. Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, party state president Chandrashekhar Bawankule, Ashish Shelar, MP Ashok Chauhan, Minister Girish Mahajan and other leaders are expected to attend the meeting to be presided over by BJP chief J P Nadda. Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP general secretary (organization) BL Sant

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