Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has said that India’s Aatmanirbhar drive is yielding the desired results and the country is poised to reach 50,000 crore rupees in defence exports by 2029-30.
Addressing the 65th Foundation Day celebrations at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur, the Defence Minister called upon Indian youth to indigenously develop high-end technologies, which the country imports, to realise Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘Viksit Bharat’.
He stressed on the need to get a hold on high-end technology, urging the young ignited minds to realise their potential and contribute to the country’s progress. He termed institutions like IIT Kanpur as academic engines, which can provide a dynamism to India in the present competitive environment.
Rajnath Singh said that the government’s efforts to achieve self-reliance are turning out to be highly successful as defence exports, which were around just 600 crore rupees 10 years ago, crossed a record number of 21,000 crore rupees in Financial Year 2023-24.
Highlighting the increasing role of technology in the defence ecosystem across the globe amidst ongoing conflicts, the Defence Minister said that the use of drones, laser warfare, cyber warfare, precision guided missiles and hypersonic missiles has transformed warfare into a technology-oriented one.
Rajnath Singh assured the government’s full support in this endeavour and reiterated the commitment to take all stakeholders, including the private sector and academia, together to make India self-reliant in defence.
