Page 33 - Rajnath Singh

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All issues at LAC need to be resolved as per existing pacts: Rajnath Singh

Singh said this at a bilateral meeting with Li amid the three-year border row along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh that has significantly strained ties between the two sides

Rajnath Singh to chair SCO defence ministers' meeting in Delhi on Friday

The fast evolving regional security situation, developments in Afghanistan and ways to boost cooperation in effectively combating terrorism and extremism are set to be the key focus of a conclave of the defence ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Delhi on Friday. Chinese Defence Minister Li Shangfu, Tajikistan's Colonel General Sherali Mirzo, Iran's Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Gharaei Ashtiyani and Kazakhstan's Colonel General Ruslan Zhaksylykov have already arrived in the national capital. Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and his counterparts from Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan are also attending the meeting to be chaired by Rajnath Singh. Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif is set to attend the meeting through virtual mode. Officials involved in preparations for the meeting said the main focus of the deliberations will be on regional security situations including the developments in Afghanistan. They said enhancing coordination among the SCO memb

Rajnath Singh to chair SCO Defence ministers' meeting on April 28

India considers SCO as an important regional group to promote multilateral, political, security, economic and people-to-people interactions in the region

Congress used 'religion' to come to power: Rajnath Singh in Karnataka

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday came down heavily on the Congress alleging that it used mazhab' (meaning religion in Urdu) to come to power. Singh also slammed the party for having introduced four per cent reservation, in its earlier term, on religious lines in Karnataka, saying it had been done only to appease Muslims. If there is any political party in the history of India which took the support of dharma', or rather, 'mazhab' to come to power, then it is Congress, Singh said, addressing a public meeting at Kagwad in Belagavi district. Karnataka votes on May 10, with the results slated to be declared on May 13. The Congress does the "politics of Hindu, Muslim and Christians", Singh said. "Politics of this sort should never ever be done." Only to appease Muslims, the four per cent reservation was given on religious lines, he alleged. We will welcome if an economically-weaker Muslim or a Christian gets reservation benefits but the Constitution of India does not permit

Rajnath to hold bilateral meet with Chinese counterpart on SCO sidelines

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) pursues a policy based on the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity of nations, the defence ministry said on Tuesday ahead of hosting a key meeting of the grouping on Friday. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is likely to hold bilateral talks with his Chinese counterpart Li Shangfu on the sidelines of the SCO defence ministerial conclave in Delhi, people familiar with the matter said. The bilateral talks between Singh and Li are taking place days after the Indian and Chinese armies held 18th round of military talks on ending the three-year border row in eastern Ladakh. Li, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and their counterparts from other member countries of the SCO, except Pakistan's Khawaja Asif, are set to attend the defence ministerial meeting being hosted by India under its presidency of the influential grouping. In a statement, the defence ministry said counter-terror cooperation and matters concerning regional peac

Sitharaman, Rajnath, Yogi to address public meetings in K'taka tomorrow

Union Ministers Nirmala Sitharaman and Rajnath Singh and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will be in Karnataka on Wednesday to campaign for the BJP in various parts of the State in run-up to the May 10 assembly election. According to the tour programme, Finance Minister Sitharaman will fly from Bengaluru to Kalaburagi on Wednesday by a special flight and will address a press meet at 10 AM. She will also have an interaction with intellectuals at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Hall at 11 AM. The Finance Minister will address Mahila Samavesha' (women's conclave) at Aland in Kalaburagi district. She will return from Aland to the district headquarters town of Kalaburagi to take part in another Mahila Samavesha' at 3 PM. Sitharaman will also take part in a door-to-door campaign in Kalaburagi city for an hour from 4 PM. She will fly back to Bengaluru in a special aircraft. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will reach Belagavi by a special aircraft from Delhi and then fly i

Chinese defence minister to visit India this week to attend SCO meet

China on Tuesday announced that its Defence Minister General Li Shangfu will visit India this week to attend the meeting of SCO defence ministers from April 27 during which he is expected to hold talks with his Indian counterpart Rajnath Singh on ending the prolonged eastern Ladakh standoff which has severely strained bilateral ties. Considered a close associate of Chinese President Xi Jinping, Gen. Li's India visit is regarded significant as it comes amid the vexed standoff between the armies of India and China in eastern Ladakh since May 2020. Upon invitation, Chinese State Councillor and Defence Minister General Li Shangfu will attend the meeting of the Council of Defense Ministers of the Member States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in New Delhi, India, from April 27-28, China's Ministry of National Defence (MND) said in a statement. During the meeting, General Li will address the conference and meet with the heads of delegations from relevant countries to ...

Benefits of demographic dividend possible only if health ensured: Rajnath

The minister highlighted the significance of social well-being, which he viewed as a dimension of health besides physical and mental health

Rajnath Singh stresses on need for comprehensive health at NAMS event

Highlighting health as a key element in the development of any nation, Rajnath Singh said the overall development of the country is possible only if its citizens are healthy

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh tests positive for Covid, under quarantine

Singh was scheduled to attend the Indian Air Force Commanders' conference in the national capital today but had to skip it after being tested positive for the virus, the statement said

Confident that Army can deal with any contingency along LAC: Rajnath Singh

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday asked the top commanders of the Indian Army to maintain a strong vigil along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China as the situation in the northern sector remained "tense" due to the deployment of Chinese PLA troops. In his address at the Army Commanders' Conference, Singh, referring to the eastern Ladakh border standoff, expressed full confidence in the Army to deal with any contingency while noting that ongoing talks for a peaceful resolution of the row will continue and that disengagement and de-escalation were the best way forward. Singh said a "whole of the government" approach is being followed to ensure the availability of best weapons, equipment and clothing to the troops braving extreme weather and hostile forces to defend the country's territorial integrity, according to the defence ministry. The Indian and Chinese troops have been locked in a three-year confrontation in certain friction points in eastern Ladakh even as the

Rajnath Singh's son to become president of Cycling Federation of India

BJP's Noida MLA Pankaj Singh is set to be declared as the president of the Cycling Federation of India (CFI) on Saturday after he emerged as the lone candidate for the top post. Not only Pankaj, all the other 24 members of the CFI executive council, will be elected unopposed during the election meeting to be held in Nainital, Uttarakhand, on Saturday. He will succeed former Punjab minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa, who has become ineligible to contest the elections under the Sports Code as he has served three terms (12 years since 2011) as head of CFI. Pankaj, son of Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, served as president of Fencing Association of India for a brief period before resigning from the post in April last year, citing his "commitments as a legislator" in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly. Incumbent Maninder Pal Singh will also be re-elected as Secretary General for his second consecutive term as he is the lone candidate for the post. Sudeesh Kumar of Kerala will be the ...

Karnataka elections 2023: Modi, Shah, Nadda named BJP's star campaigners

The list includes names of PM Modi, BJP President JP Nadda, Home Minister Amit Shah, and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh

Defence Ministry okay proposal for industry-friendly reform related to AHSP

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has approved a proposal for bringing in industry-friendly reform related to Authority Holding Sealed Particulars (AHSP), officials said on Tuesday. The AHSP is the authority which is responsible for generating, maintaining, updating or declaring obsolete the entire history and technical information of defence products. Singh has approved a proposal for bringing in industry-friendly reform related to AHSP, the ministry said in a statement. So far, the Directorate General of Quality Assurance (DGQA) was the AHSP for majority of defence items designed, developed and manufactured by various DPSUs and private industries, it said. "Under the existing procedure, certain bottlenecks were experienced by the industry to bring timely improvements in their products and technologies in line with changing times. Therefore, the ministry has decided now to liberalise the AHSP procedures and make it industry-friendly," the ministry said. The Indian defence companies,

No development possible without an educated citizenry, says Rajnath Singh

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday said that development of the country and society is not possible without an all-round development of its students and citizens. Quoting Greek philosopher Aristotle, Rajnath said 'educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all' and added "there cannot be a better thought on education." "Till we do not work for a holistic development of citizens and students, we cannot imagine complete development of the country and society," Singh said addressing the convocation ceremony of JRN Rajasthan Vidyapeeth in Udaipur. The Union Minister said such a development was imperative if the country has to be taken to new heights.

Govt giving level-playing field to youth to build stronger India: Rajnath

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday appealed to the youth to come up with new ideas to empower the country in the field of science and technology

Competitive bidding must be followed in defence procurement: Rajnath Singh

"Of course, there would be some rare cases when it may not be possible to go for an open tender process. However, such instances should come under exceptions and exceptions should not become the rule"

Robust defence finance system backbone of strong military: Rajnath Singh

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday batted for a foolproof system of internal and external audit for defence expenditure and called for devising innovative ways to maximise the value of money spent on India's security needs. In an address at a conference, Singh called for judicious use of financial resources and said that the rule of competitive bidding through open tender must be followed in defence procurement. Reducing chances of corruption and wastage leads to positive public opinion due to the confidence that public money is being spent optimally and prudently and this increases the possibility of greater funding by the legislature, the defence minister said. He underlined the importance of a robust defence finance system for a strong military and highlighted the need for comprehensive 'Blue Books', codifying the rules and procedures for procurement of military equipment and systems. Singh said, with this vision, the government has formulated 'Blue Books' in the form o

India exported military hardware worth Rs 15,920 crore in 2022-23: Rajnath

India's defence exports reached an all-time high of Rs 15,920 crore in the financial year 2022-2023, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Saturday describing the rise as a remarkable achievement. The country's defence exports in 2021-22 was Rs 12,814 crore, according to official data. "India's defence exports have reached an all-time high of Rs 15,920 crore in FY 2022-2023. It is a remarkable achievement for the country," Singh said on Twitter. "Under the inspiring leadership of PM Shri @narendramodi, our defence exports will continue to grow exponentially," he said. India exported military hardware worth Rs 8,434 crore in 2020-21, Rs 9,115 crore in 2019-20, and Rs 10,745 crore in 2018-19, according to details provided by Singh. The amount in 2017-18 was Rs 4,682 crore and Rs 1,521 crore in 2016-17. The government has set the target of manufacturing defence hardware worth Rs 1,75,000 crore and take defence exports to Rs 35,000 crore by 2024-25. In the last few years, the gover