India’s Defence Exports: Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh visited Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar in Maharashtra on Friday, where he unveiled a statue of the great warrior Maharana Pratap. He paid his respects and remembered the bravery of the 16th CE Mewar king, known for standing strong against the Mughal Empire. During the event, Singh also spoke about how the government is working hard to make India self-reliant in the defence sector.
While addressing the gathering, Singh proudly said that India’s defence exports have grown a lot in the last few years.
According to ET, he shared, “We are fully committed to making India self-reliant in defence production. When our government came to power in 2014, defence exports from India to other countries were around Rs 600 crore. Today, we have increased them to approximately Rs 24,000 crore. Our target is to raise this to Rs 50,000 crore by 2029-30.” He made it clear that this is not just a dream, but a goal that they are sure to achieve.
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Singh added, “This is not just a target — we will achieve it. This is our firm conviction. We have taken many steps to make India self-reliant in the defence sector.”
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was also present at the event. He too paid tribute to Maharana Pratap and spoke about the growing development in the state. He talked about how the industrial scene is changing.
Fadnavis said, “…When I decided to build Samruddhi Highway, at that time I always used to say that Pune is the industrial magnet of Maharashtra, but now this industrial magnet is going to shift and this industrial magnet is going to be Sambhaji Nagar and Jalna… Whenever we bring industrialists to Sambhaji Nagar, they settle here and invest here…” He highlighted that this area has a strong future in terms of industry and development.
Need for Self-Reliance
A day before this event, on Thursday, Rajnath Singh also spoke at the Manekshaw Centre where he met senior defence officers and private defence company leaders. He pointed out some important global challenges like trade restrictions, rising tariffs, and the problems that come from depending too much on foreign parts and supply chains.
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He explained that in the past, defence companies around the world were relying on long and complicated supply systems spread across many countries. But now, things are changing, and countries need to depend more on themselves.
Singh said that the government is focused on preparing India’s armed forces for future needs. He stressed the importance of producing defence equipment within the country and not just depending on imports. He made it clear that India is now ready to stand on its own feet in the defence world, and the progress made in defence exports proves that the country is on the right track.
