Jaipur, (Samajweekly) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday witnessed a synergised demonstration of indigenous defence capabilities in the form of a tri-services live fire and manoeuvre exercise in Rajasthan’s Pokhran.
‘Bharat Shakti’ had on display an array of indigenous weapon systems and platforms as a demonstration of the prowess of the country, premised on the aatmanirbharata (self-reliance) initiative.
In his address, the Prime Minister said that the valour and skills at display today are the call of new India.
“Once again Pokhran became a witness of the ‘triveni’ of India’s aatmanirbharata, self-confidence, and its glory.”
“It is the same Pokhran that witnessed India’s nuclear test and today we are witnessing the power of strength from indigenisation,” he said.
About the test firing of the long-range Agni-5 missile equipped with advanced MIRV technology on Monday, the Prime Minister affirmed that only a handful of countries in the world have hold of this new-age technology and prowess and underlined that the testing is another feather in the cap for aatmanirbharata in defence.
“The idea of Viksit Bharat is unimaginable without aatmanirbhar Bharat,” he said, underscoring the need to reduce dependence on others.
Noting that Tuesday’s occasion is a step towards this resolution, the Prime Minister said that India is laying emphasis on aatmanirbharata from edible oils to fighter jets.
“The success of aatmanirbharata in defence can be seen with India’s tanks, cannons, fighter jets, helicopters, and missile systems which reflect India’s strength. We are experiencing the flight of Made in India with arms and ammunition, communication devices, cyber and space. This is indeed Bharat Shakti,” he said
Listing out the steps for making India self-reliant in the defence sector, the Prime Minister mentioned policy reforms, roping in the private sector, and encouragement of MSME startups in the field. He congratulated the chiefs of all three forces for preparing lists of items that will not be imported and supporting the Indian manufacturing ecosystems of these items.
The Prime Minister expressed happiness that in the last 10 years, equipment worth Rs 6 lakh crore has been procured from Indian companies.
During this period, defence production of the country has doubled to more than Rs 1 lakh crore. In the last 10 years, more than 150 defence startups have started and defence forces have given them orders worth Rs 1,800 crore, he noted.
“Aatmanirbharata for India’s defence needs is the guarantee of self-confidence in the armed forces,” PM Modi said.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Chief of Defence Staff, Gen Anil Chauhan, Army chief, Gen Manoj Pande, Air Force chief, Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari, and Navy chief, Admiral R. Hari Kumar were present on the occasion, among others.
