India’s military power not meant to provoke: Rajnath

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said India’s growing defence capability is not meant to provoke conflict, but to act as a deterrent.

Rajnath, in his inaugural address at a defence conclave, said “defence capability is not meant to provoke conflict. It is like a credible deterrence, to maintain peace and tranquillity. Peace is possible only when we remain strong”.

The minister laid out a vision for a self-reliant and future-ready India and focused on indigenisation, innovation and global leadership, while adding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s focus was on strengthening the defence sector.

India would reduce its dependency on imports and create a defence industrial complex that would not only meet India’s needs but also strengthen the potential of defence exports, Rajnath claimed

On the evolving nature of warfare, the minister said in the coming days, conflicts and wars would be more violent and unpredictable. The cyber and space domains were rapidly emerging as new battlefields and along with this, a war of narrative and perception was being fought all over the world.

He said the government had reserved 75 per cent of the defence budget for procurement from domestic companies. He pointed out that defence production in India had risen from Rs 40,000 crore in 2014 to over Rs 1.27 lakh crore today. “This year, defence production should cross Rs 1.60 lakh crore, while our target is to produce defence equipment worth Rs 3 lakh crore by 2029,” he said.

On defence exports, Rajnath underscored that the figures had surged from Rs 686 crore in 2013-14 to Rs 23,622 crore in 2024-25. “Defence products made in our country are being exported to about 100 countries. “Our defence exports should reach Rs 30,000 crore this year and Rs 50,000 crore by 2029,” the Defence Ministeradded.