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 ...
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
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
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
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 ..
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
The only way to estimate the capital allocation for each service is to calculate the allocations to each service over the preceding decade
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
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
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
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
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
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.
Senior Union ministers, including Rajnath Singh and Arjun Munda, on Wednesday held discussions on the ongoing farmers' protests and ways to address the issues, according to sources. The meeting in the national capital assumes significance against the backdrop of farmers from Punjab marching towards Delhi and Haryana Police using tear gas shells to stop them at the Shambhu border between the two states. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, also a former agriculture minister, deliberated upon various farmer issues with Munda, who is currently in charge of the agriculture ministry. Munda is also one of the ministers who held discussions with farmer groups, the sources said. Details about the meeting could not be immediately ascertained. Thousands of farmers, who are seeking a guaranteed minimum support price (MSP) among other demands, started their 'Delhi Chalo' march on Tuesday. Haryana Police lobbed tear gas shells at farmers from Punjab at the Shambhu border as thousands of protesters
Union Minister Rajnath Singh is scheduled to visit Assam on February 29, where he will address a mega rally in the Barpeta Lok Sabha Constituency, according to a BJP official
Former Prime Minister and veteran Congress leaders PV Narsimha Rao and Chaudhary Charan Singh will be conferred the Bharat Ratna, PM Modi announced on Friday
Political leaders congratulate and pay tribute to the winners of this year's Bharat Ratna awards - P V Narasimha Rao, Chaudhary Charan Singh, and M S Swaminathan. Here is what they had to say
INS Sandhayak, the first of four Survey Vessel Large (SVL) ships, was commissioned into the Indian Navy on Saturday at the Naval Dockyard in Visakhapatnam, in the presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. Stating that the SVL ship will go a long way in obtaining information about the oceans and achieving the twin objectives of protecting the country as well as others, Singh warned that those involved in maritime piracy and smuggling will not be tolerated. The primary role of INS Sandhayak is to carry out full scale hydrographic surveys of ports, harbours, navigational channels, routes, coastal areas and deep seas to enable safe marine navigation. "Many choke points, like the Gulf of Aden, Gulf of Guinea etc. are present in the Indian Ocean, through which a large amount of international trade takes place. Many threats remain at these choke points, the biggest being from pirates," Singh said, referring to the Indian Navy's prompt response to rescue ships from pirates. The minister
Taking to the social media platform, X, the Defence Minister said that Advani Ji also played an important role in keeping the unity and integrity of India intact
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh along with Indian Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar commissioned INS Sandhayak at Naval Dockyard in Visakhapatnam on Saturday