Page 6 - Rajnath Singh

Always maintain force's operational readiness at peak: Rajnath tells Army

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh called on the top Army commanders on Wednesday to always maintain the force's operational readiness at its peak level amid a lingering border row with China in eastern Ladakh. In an interaction with the commanders at their ongoing biannual conference, Singh reasserted the faith of the billion-plus citizens in the Indian Army as one of the "most trusted and inspiring organisations" in the country. At the five-day conference that started on Monday, the commanders are carrying out a comprehensive review of India's national security challenges along the borders with China and Pakistan, besides delving on ways to bolster the 1.3 million-strong force's military prowess. The main highlight of the third day's proceedings was Singh's interaction with the senior leadership of the Army, which was preceded by a briefing on "Transformational imperatives for a future-ready force". The Army said the defence minister commended the force for maintaining a high ...

Rajnath calls C-295 aircraft manufacturing facility in Vadodara a milestone

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday said the laying of foundation stone of a manufacturing facility in Gujarat's Vadodara city for C-295 transport aircraft production for the Indian Air Force was a milestone in the country's journey towards self-reliance in the defence sector. Singh was speaking before Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of the upcoming aircraft manufacturing facility in Vadodara. The aircraft will be produced by a consortium of European aerospace major Airbus and the Tata Group. It is the first project of its kind in which a military aircraft will be manufactured in India by a private company. In September last year, India sealed a Rs 21,935 crore deal with Airbus Defence and Space to procure 56 C-295 aircraft to replace the IAF's ageing Avro-748 planes that entered service in the early 1960s. Rajnath Singh said for the first time in the country, a private player is setting up a facility to manufacture aircraft. "This is definitely a mom

Explained: Why Gilgit-Baltistan crucial for India? What is its history?

India's northward journey of development will be complete after reaching Gilgit and Baltistan, said Rajnath Singh. Let's know what the Gilgit-Baltistan issue is and how does it affect India

Rajnath dedicates 75 infra projects worth Rs 2,180 cr from eastern Ladakh

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday dedicated to the nation 75 infrastructure projects including bridges, roads and helipads built at a cost of Rs 2,180 crore in strategically key areas of Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim among others. He inaugurated the projects at a function held at the Darbuk-Shyok-Daulat Beg Oldi (DS-DBO) road that provides connectivity to India's northernmost outpost of Daulat Beg Oldi in eastern Ladakh. The highlight of the event was the onsite inauguration of 120-metre-long 'class-70 Shyok Setu' on the DS-DBO Road at an altitude 14,000 feet, the defence ministry said. The bridge will be of strategic importance as it will facilitate logistics movement of the armed forces. Other projects inaugurated virtually by Singh included two helipads, one each in Hanle and Thakung, in Eastern Ladakh, it said. These helipads will enhance the operational capabilities of the Indian Air Force in the region. The rest of the projects were inaugurate

LIVE: Pact to set up Tata-Airbus proj in Guj inked under MVA rule, says min

From national and international political developments to rising air pollution and farm fires, catch all the latest news from across the globe here

Pak committed atrocities against people in PoK, says Rajnath Singh

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said Pakistan is committing atrocities against people in its occupied Kashmir and will have to bear its consequences. Hinting at retrieving Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), the minister said the goal of overall development in the twin Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh will be achieved "after reaching Gilgit and Baltistan" -- parts of PoK. "We have just begun our journey of development in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. We will achieve our goal when we reach Gilgit and Baltistan," Singh said addressing the 'Shaurya Diwas' event -- enactment of landing at Srinagar by Indian Air Force on this day in 1947. Referring to the "atrocities" committed by Pakistan against the people in PoK, the defence minister said the neighbouring country will have to "bear its consequences". "Terrorism has no religion. The only aim of terrorists is to target India," he said. Singh said the Centre's decision to abrogate Article 370 on August 5, 2019,

Rajnath Singh visits J&K's Budgam for attending 'Shaurya Diwas' programme

On the 76th Infantry Day, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday attended the 'Shaurya Diwas' programme organized by the Indian Army in Budgam

Rajnath Singh to visit Srinagar to participate in 'Shaurya Diwas' programme

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday will visit Srinagar to participate in the "Shaurya Diwas" programme organised by the Indian Army

Rajnath Singh, Army chief to attend Infantry Day anniversary event in J-K

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Army Chief Gen Manoj Pande will attend an event in Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday to mark the 75th anniversary of Infantry Day, officials said on Wednesday. Infantry Day is celebrated to commemorate the arrival of Indian Army at Budgam airfield on October 27, 1947, to protect Jammu and Kashmir from Pakistani forces. It was the first military operation of Independent India. The Army landed at the airfield after the 'instrument of accession' was signed on October 26, 1947, between the then Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir Hari Singh and the Union of India. Some of the key scenes of the historic Budgam landings are scheduled to be reenacted, among other events planned to be held on Thursday to mark the landmark occasion. "The defence minister and the Army chief will take part in the Infantry Day anniversary event in Jammu and Kashmir tomorrow. And, a number of other top officers of the armed forces will also be present," a senior official said on ...

Nuclear option should not be resorted to by any side: Rajnath Singh

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday told his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu that the Ukraine conflict should be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy and the nuclear option should not be resorted to by any side. In telephonic talks, Shoigu briefed Singh on the evolving situation in Ukraine, including his concerns about possible "provocations through use of 'dirty bomb'", the defence ministry said. The conversation took place at the initiative of the Russian defence minister amid escalation of hostilities between Russia and Ukraine. "Singh reiterated India's position on the need to pursue the path of dialogue and diplomacy for an early resolution of the conflict," the ministry said. "He pointed out that the nuclear option should not be resorted to by any side as the prospect of the usage of nuclear or radiological weapons goes against the basic tenets of humanity," it said. It said the two ministers also discussed bilateral defence cooperation as well as the deteriorat

Rajnath backs indigenous tech capability to ensure reliability of supplies

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said that the country "must have technological and production capability" if the "reliability of supplies" of defence items has to be maintained

Eyeing $5-bn exports, $22-bn turnover in defence sector by 2025: Rajnath

Terming exports as a key pillar for long-term sustainability of the domestic defence industry, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said the government has set itself a target of achieving defence exports of USD 5 billion by 2025. Speaking at an event at the 12th Defence Expo here, he also said the government was eyeing overall turnover of USD 22 billion in defence production in the same timeframe. "Domestic demand alone may not always provide economies of scale to make profitable investments and sustain them," Singh said, speaking at a seminar jointly organised by the US-India Business Council and Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers at Mahatma Mandir. The seminar was on the theme 'New Frontiers in US-India Defence Cooperation: Next Generation Technology, Innovation & Make in India'. "The USD 5 billion export target set for 2025 reflects the intent of the government for export-oriented manufacturing," the minister added. He also invited US defence companies to set ..

MoUs worth Rs 1,53,000 crore signed at DefExpo 2022, says official

As many as 451 Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) and agreements worth Rs 1.53 lakh crore were signed during the Defence Expo or DefExpo 2022 at Gandhinagar, a senior official said. During the valedictory function of the 12th edition of DefExpo at the Mahatma Mandir convention centre, Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar informed the audience that it had broken previous records in terms of business generation. "This was the most outstanding defence expo ever. It saw the highest number of exhibitors, which is in addition to tens of thousands of business visitors. The extent of business this defence expo has generated has surpassed all the previous records," said Kumar. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Gujarat Governor Acharya Devvrat were among those present on the dais during the function. "In the last defence expo, which was held in 2020 in Lucknow, 201 MoUs were signed. I am happy to report that today, 451 MoUs and agreements were signed. It involves an estimated amount of Rs 1,53,000

India to achieve $22 bn turnover in defence production by 2025: Rajnath

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said the central government is making efforts to achieve a turnover of USD 22 billion by 2025 in defence production. Speaking at the 'Invest in Defence' event as part of the ongoing Defence Expo 2022 in Gujaray capital Gandhinagar, Singh also appealed to investors to approach him or defence ministry officials without any hesitation to resolve issues. He appealed to private players to come forward and invest in the Indian defence industry, saying it is at an important juncture. Not just large corporates, even start-ups and MSMEs (micro small and medium enterprises) are now associated with the defence sector. This is the golden period for the defence sector, he said. "The Indian defence industry is the sunrise sector of the future," the minister said. "The government is making efforts to take domestic defence production from the current USD 12 billion to USD 22 billion by 2025. We may even surpass this target of USD 22 billion. There is no

2 dead, 10 injured after tipper truck topples in Ladakh's Sasoma-Saser La

As many as two people died and ten others were injured after a tipper truck toppled in the Sasoma-Saser La area of Ladakh on Wednesday while road construction work was underway

India will become world's defence manufacturing hub in next 25 yrs: Rajnath

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday said that the DefExpo 2022 reflects India's strong resolve to safeguard the nation and said that the country would become a defence manufacturing hub

12th edition of Defence Expo to begin in Gujarat's Gandhinagar today

With an aim to give impetus to the defence sector, India's "biggest ever" defence exhibition - DefExpo 2022 will begin in Gandhinagar, Gujarat from today

Despite being literate, someone can be terrorist: Rajnath Singh on 9/11

Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh Monday recalled the masterminds of 9/11, Khalid Sheikh and Mohammed Atta while addressing at the Rashtriya Raksha University in Gandhinagar. "Despite studying a lot, someone can be a Khalid Sheikh or Mohammed Atta", Rajnath Singh said at the event.Defence Minister was addressing in the second convocation of Rashtriya Raksha University in Gandhinagar. Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel was also present at the event accompanying Rajnath Singh."India, too, has many such instances where youths were involved in terrorism. They were not illiterate & were graduates. Despite studying a lot, and being a trained pilot, someone can be a Khalid Sheikh or Mohammed Atta", Rajnath Singh said.Earlier, Rajnath Singh also held fruitful discussions with defence ministers of various African nations. Ahead of the India-Africa Defence Dialogue which is scheduled for Tuesday.India-Africa Defence Dialogue will be held today on the sidelines of DefExpo 2022 in ...

DefExpo 22 will be first-ever edition exclusively for Indian firms: Rajnath

The Defence Expo 2022 will be the first-ever edition exclusively for Indian companies, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on the eve of the expo

PM Modi only leader after Mahatma Gandhi to know pulse of people: Rajnath

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is only the second leader after Mahatma Gandhi who understands the nation's pulse, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said as he released the Gujarati edition of the book "Modi@20: Dreams Meet Delivery" here on Monday. The function was attended by Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting L. Murugan along with ministers of the Gujarat government, senior officers, writers, poets, editors and representatives of the art and cultural field from the state. The governance and bold decisions taken by the Prime Minister have resulted in India getting a strong place on the high table at the world stage, Singh said. He said the PM has been working very hard not only to change the present but has focused his vision to shape the future course of the country. PM Modi is the only second leader after Mahatma Gandhi who has known the pulse of our nation as he communicates directly with the people of the country, the