Page 20 - Rajnath Singh

IAF chief spells out vision to transition into future ready aerospace force

IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal V R Chaudhari visited the Defence Services Staff College (DSSC) in Tamil Nadu's Wellington on Friday and told a group of officers about the IAF's vision to transition into a "contemporary and future ready aerospace force". The IAF chief also highlighted the significant air power lessons derived from existing conflicts such as Russia-Ukraine war and Israel-Hamas conflict, the defence ministry said in a statement. In his address to them, he also covered the challenges confronting the IAF, its capability development plan and jointmanship, it said. He addressed the student officers from the Indian armed forces and friendly foreign countries undergoing the 79th Staff Course and the permanent staff of DSSC. Air Chief Marshal Chaudhari "spelt out the transition of IAF into a contemporary and future ready aerospace force". He reiterated the vision as spelt out in the IAF doctrine, which envisages an agile and adaptive air force to provide decisive aerospace ...

Rajnath Singh, Lloyd Austin discuss defence ties between India, US

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday spoke over the phone with his American counterpart Lloyd Austin to discuss on a wide range of bilateral, regional and global issues amidst a "growing momentum in major defence partnership" between India and the US. During the call, Austin and Rajnath "lauded progress on bilateral defence initiatives following the 5th annual US-India 2+2 ministerial dialogue in November 2023, including US support for India's military modernisation, initiatives to drive forward the US-India roadmap for defence industrial cooperation, strengthening maritime domain awareness in the Indian Ocean Region, and India's support for the rule of law in the Arabian Sea and adjacent waterways, Pentagon Press Secretary Maj Gen Pat Ryder said. Austin held the call with Singh to discuss "growing momentum in the major defence partnership between the US and India in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific region", he said. The two leaders also applauded recent announcements ...

US Defence Secretary appreciates Indian Navy's role in anti-piracy ops

US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin on Monday conveyed to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh his appreciation for the Indian Navy's important role in conducting anti-piracy operations in the Indian Ocean Region. Singh and Austin held a telephonic talk and a readout on the conversation issued by the defence ministry mentioned the US defence secretary's compliment for the Indian Navy. It is understood that the two ministers also deliberated on India's planned acquisition of 31 MQ-9B drones from the US under the foreign military sale (FMS) route. The two ministers discussed ways and means to implement the ambitious India-US defence cooperation roadmap that seeks to significantly elevate strategic ties between the two countries. "The US Secretary of Defence appreciated the important role being played by the Indian Navy in conducting anti-piracy operations in the Indian Ocean Region," the ministry said. On Friday, the Indian Navy executed a dramatic mid-sea operation rescuing 17 hostages and

People misled over CAA, nobody's citizenship to be snatched: Rajnath

Union Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said people are being misled over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, asserting that the legislation would not take away the citizenship of anyone living in India. Addressing a rally in Assam's Barpeta, he said the CAA will grant citizenship to religiously persecuted people who came to India till 2014 from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. Singh was campaigning for BJP ally Asom Gana Parishad's candidate Phani Bhusan Choudhury, who is contesting the Barpeta Lok Sabha constituency, currently being represented by Congress MP Abdul Khaleque. "The people are being misled over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act... I assure you that this Act will not take away the citizenship of any people. It would only grant citizenship," the defence minister said. The Centre on Monday implemented the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019, notifying the rules four years after the law was passed by Parliament to fast-track citizenship for undocumented non-Muslim migran

Rajnath approves expanding NCC to 2 mn cadets, build 'future leaders'

Plan will make NCC the world's largest uniformed youth organisation

We converted difficulties into opportunities: Rajnath Singh lauds PM Modi

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday said it is the result of the "jan seva" (public service) being done by the double engine government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's guidance that the entire country along with Lucknow is progressing by leaps and bounds. Prime Minister Modi inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of 782 development projects worth Rs 34,700 crore from Azamgarh that included inauguration of the airports of Azamgarh, Shravasti, Moradabad, Chitrakoot and Aligarh, and the new terminal of Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport, Lucknow. Addressing the gathering at an event in his parliamentary constituency, Singh said, "Under the visionary leadership of the prime minister, the specialty of our government has been that we converted difficulties into opportunities. There was already a system running in the country which kept the common man away from the elite class and we removed this system." "If I talk about the infrastructure in the aviation sector, ..

Country's growth can't be imagined without development of farmers: Rajnath

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday said the country's growth cannot be imagined without the development of farmers and villages, and asserted that the Modi government was standing shoulder to shoulder with the cultivators. Addressing a mega farmers' rally at Government Science College ground in Chhattisgarh's capital Raipur, he also targeted the previous Congress dispensation in the state, accusing it of indulging in corruption and derailing its development. "...I am the son of a farmer and hail from a village. Farmers can yield gold from the soil with their efforts and hard work. My government is standing shoulder to shoulder with farmers. Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Centre has been taking several steps for the welfare of farmers," the minister said. Without the development of farmers and villages, the growth of the country cannot be imagined, he said. "In America, one bag of urea fertilisers is available for Rs 3,000...India is the only where urea is being provided .

Watched 'Article 370', film shows complexity of problem: Rajnath Singh

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday said he has watched the film 'Article 370' with his family at a theatre here, and said the movie shows the "complexity" of the "problem" as well as the "challenging solution". "Today I went to a cinema hall in Delhi with my family and watched the movie 'Article 370'. I heard praise for this film from many people. The film is inspired by true events and presents the events of the removal of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir in a very effective manner," Singh said in a post on X in Hindi. "This film shows how complex this problem was and how challenging the solution was and it also presents a good example of women empowerment. I congratulate the producer-director and all the actors of this film for their effective presentation," he wrote. The central government on August 5, 2019, had revoked Article 370, which gave special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, and bifurcated it into Union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and ...

Modi-led govt believes in capabilities of India in defence sector: Rajnath

Union Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said the Narendra Modi-led government "believes in the capabilities of India and Indians" in the defence sector, while the previous dispensations were in some way "sceptical" about their capabilities. In his address at an event here, the defence minister also said that if any criticism comes from the media on any government scheme, "We accept it and try to bring a change accordingly". Delivering an address at the NDTV Defence Summit here, Singh said when the government led by Modi came to power in 2014, "We made the defence sector one of our main priorities". "We took a step towards 'atmanirbharta' (self-reliance) in defence. From establishing the Department of Military Affairs (DMA) to the creation of the post of CDS (Chief of Defence Staff), issuing of positive indigenisation lists for manufacturing of weapons in India...they naturally strengthen it (defence sector)," he said. The DMA with CDS as secretary was created to facilitate optimal

Indian navy ensuring no country suppresses our Indo-Pacific allies: Rajnath

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday said the Indian Navy has ensured that no country with its overwhelming economic and military power can suppress India's friendly countries in the Indo-Pacific region. Due to the Navy's readiness, India is fulfilling its responsibility very well and providing full help to allied countries in the Indian Ocean, he said. "We have ensured that there is no kind of hegemony in the Indian Ocean," Singh said addressing a gathering after inaugurating a new administrative building of the Naval War College near Goa capital Panaji. On the occasion, he also virtually unveiled an aircraft carrier pier and auxiliary vessel pier at the Sea Bird naval base at Karwar in neighbouring Karnataka. "Our Navy ensures that no country, with its overwhelming economic and military power, can suppress our friendly countries or crush their sovereignty in the Indo-Pacific region," he said. "The readiness with which the Indian Navy stands with our allies provides substant

India cannot afford to remain dependent on defence imports, says Rajnath

A huge country like India cannot remain dependent on import of military hardware as such dependency can be "fatal" for its strategic autonomy, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Tuesday, showcasing the Modi government's priority for boosting domestic manufacturing. In an address at a conference, Singh, without elaborating, also said that India had to face "trouble" in "difficult times" in the past due to its reliance on defence imports. He said the annual volume of domestic defence production has crossed the record figure of Rs 1 lakh crore which was nearly Rs 44,000 crore around 2014. "We will be able to maintain strategic autonomy only when arms and equipment are made in our own country, by our own people. We worked towards this, and we also saw positive results," Singh said. "While around 2014, our domestic defence production was around Rs 44,000 crore, today our domestic defence production has crossed the record figure of Rs 1 lakh crore, and it is continuously growing," he

Rajnath Singh to inaugurate new building of Naval War College, Goa on Mar 5

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will inaugurate the new administrative and training building of Naval War College at INS Mandovi near Panaji on March 5, a Navy official said on Friday. Rear Admiral Arjun Dev Nair, Commandant of the Naval War College told reporters that the building will help the institute train officers from all three military services three times more than its current strength. "This modern edifice has been named as 'Chola' in commemoration of the mighty maritime empire of the Chola dynasty. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will inaugurate the new building on March 5 and the ceremony will be attended by senior naval leadership in addition to ex-commandants of the Naval War College," he said. According to him, the College of Naval Warfare was established at INS Karanja in 1988 in Mumbai to impart advanced professional military education to the middle and senior level officers of the Indian Navy. The college was renamed as Naval War College in 2010 and was shifted to ..

PM Modi to inaugurate ring road in Lucknow in 2nd week of March: Rajnath

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the ring road here in the second week of March, when he will launch several developmental projects for the country. Singh was addressing a gathering at Gomti Nagar railway station which was among over 2,000 rail infrastructure projects worth about Rs 41,000 crore launched by the prime minister this afternoon. "As far as development of Lucknow constituency is concerned, people are experiencing it. Work is on for the construction of one-two flyovers. Besides them eight-nine flyovers are sanctioned and work is to be started. "A ring road of 104 km is going on. It will be completed in the next three to four days and PM Modi will inaugurate it in the second week of March, when he will launch several projects for the country," Singh said. The minister said, "In today's programme, UP projects worth about Rs 1,876 crore are being inaugurated or foundation stones (are being) laid for them. It included

India's defence budget masks capital allocations to each service

The only way to estimate the capital allocation for each service is to calculate the allocations to each service over the preceding decade

Rs 3 trn by FY29: Rajnath lays down ambitious defence production target

The defence minister also raised the annual export target for aerospace and defence services and production to Rs 50,000 crore in the same time frame

3 services worked in 'silos', now they have better coordination: Rajnath

India's annual defence production is expected to touch a whopping Rs 3 lakh crore and exports of military hardware is poised to reach Rs 50,000 crore, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Saturday. In an address at a defence conclave, Singh, delving into structural defence reforms, said the three services used to work in "silos" earlier but now they are ready with better coordination to deal with every challenge jointly. He said capital acquisition projects worth more than Rs 4,35,000 crore have been given in-principle approval in the financial year 2023-24, and the government is aiming for production of high-end systems like aero-engines and gas turbines in India in the next five years. Singh noted that the government has been focusing on jointness among the Indian Army, the Navy and the Indian Air Force that would ensure enhanced coordination in times of "crisis". "Earlier, the three Services used to work in silos. We focused on their integration which was an out-of-the-box ste

Rajnath Singh holds talks with Dutch defence minister Kajsa Ollongren

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday held talks with his Dutch counterpart Kajsa Ollongren with a focus on boosting industrial defence cooperation. In the meeting, Singh said Dutch original equipment manufacturers could be encouraged to integrate Indian vendors into their supply chains. "Both ministers discussed the possibilities for expanding their bilateral defence cooperation, particularly in maritime and industrial domains," the defence ministry said. "They noted the increased interaction between the two navies and expressed keenness to work together to enhance maritime security in the Indian Ocean Region," it said in a statement. It said Singh suggested that Dutch original equipment manufacturers could be encouraged to integrate Indian vendors into their supply chains. "India has developed a vibrant innovation and industrial ecosystem. Given the Indian and Dutch complementarities in skills, technology and scale, both sides were in agreement to encourage more interactions

BJP has ended credibility crisis in politics, claims Rajnath in Odisha

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday claimed that the BJP has ended the "credibility crisis in politics" created by the Congress and the party has won the trust of people by fulfilling promises. Singh addressing party workers of three Lok Sabha constituencies of Nabarangpur, Kalahandi and Bolangir, said: "The people had lost their trust in politicians as the Congress people do not fulfil promises made to people during elections. However, the BJP won the trust of the people by fulfilling all its promises. Therefore, the crisis of credibility in politics has ended. People now have faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi." Launching a scathing attack on the Congress, the Defence minister said that the Congress used to "forget" the promises made to the people after elections for which the people had "lost faith" in politicians. However, things have changed since Narendra Modi came to power in 2014, he said. "You can check our election manifesto and find that all the promises are met

Rajnath on cluster tour in Odisha, to hold public meeting at Mayurbhanj

The Minister will leave for Odisha from Vishakhapatnam in a few hours to attend meeting with ex-servicemen, BJP party bearers and attend public gathering

Mega defence expo to be organised in Pune between Feb 24-26: Fadnavis

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday said a mega defence expo will be organised by the state government in Pune from February 24 to 26. Speaking to reporters here, he said the state government has requested Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to attend but a confirmation on whether he would visit has not been received as yet.