Defence minister Rajnath Singh has unveiled a bold vision for India's defence sector. Anticipating a monumental leap, singh forecasts 3 trillion rupees or 36 billion dollars in annual defence production, coupled with exports reaching $6 billion by 2029.

India's annual defence production expected to hit $ 36 bn by 2029

India has kicked off another engagement outreach in the Indian Ocean region. The Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhary are on a visit to two of India's key maritime neighbours - Maldives and Sri Lanka.

Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in Maldives to kick off drill in Indian Ocean

India is not a weak country and no power in the world can touch even an inch of its land, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Friday as he visited Ladakh to carry out a comprehensive review of the security scenario in the wake of the border standoff with China.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh addresses troops at Lukung, Ladakh

India's Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has arrived in Leh for a 2-day visit of Ladakh and J&K. The Defence Minister is accompanied by the Chief of Defence Staff Bipin Rawat and also the Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane. Watch report.

India's Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to review LOC, LAC preparedness

Rajnath Singh salutes Indian forces, "No one will be allowed to touch Indian territory"

India wants to double defence exports over the next five years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday, as the country seeks to cut its import bill amid a funding crunch that has forced successive governments to go slow on new orders.

"For several years India has been a net importer of defence products. We have taken measures to change it since 2014," Modi said in the city of Lucknow, addressing the inaugural ceremony of India's 11th defence expo.

"Our aim is to increase exports of defence products to five billion dollars in five years," Modi said, adding India exports about 170 billion rupees ($2.4 billion) of defence products.

India's defence export ambitions are soaring as Asia's third-largest economy suffers its worst slowdown in decades with the country's economic growth dropping to 4.5 per cent in July-September quarter – its lowest quarterly growth in six years.

Between 2013 and 2017, India was the world's top arms importer, accounting for 12 per cent of total imports globally, with Russia, Israel and the United States among the top suppliers.

According to government data, India's major defence export customers include Italy, Sri Lanka, Russia and France.

The exports, primarily made by government ordnance factories and private firms such as L&amp;T, Bharat Forge and Tata group, including offshore patrol vessels, helicopters, coastal surveillance systems and spares for radar.

India's armed forces, saddled with outdated aircraft and warships, are in dire need of funds for modernisation.

However, with the government possibly set to break its own fiscal deficit target due to slowing growth, funds allocated for modernisation have been barely enough, experts have said.

Laxman Behera, research fellow at Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, said in a report released on Tuesday that India's defence resource crunch had been acute in recent years.

India's budget for modernisation of weapons, aircraft and warships announced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman last week stood at 906 billion rupees, out of a total allocated defence budget of 3,230.5 billion rupees.

With a meagre hike of 2.55 billion rupees over the revised estimates of last year's budget, said Laxman from IDSA called funding for the country's military "grossly under-provisioned."

US&nbsp;ambassador to India Kenneth Juster said lower offset obligations, a mandatory financial commitment locally by global firms partnering with India and less regulations can help India bring in billions of dollars in foreign investment.

India wants to double defence exports over the next five years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday, as the country seeks to cut its import bill amid a funding crunch that has forced successive governments to go slow on new orders.

India wants to double defence exports over the next five years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday, as the country seeks to cut its import bill amid a funding crunch that has forced successive governments to go slow on new orders. "For several years India has been a net importer of defence products. We have taken measures to change it since 2014," Modi said in the city of Lucknow, addressing the inaugural ceremony of India's 11th defence expo. "Our aim is to increase exports of defence products to five billion dollars in five years," Modi said, adding India exports about 170 billion rupees ($2.4 billion) of defence products. India's defence export ambitions are soaring as Asia's third-largest economy suffers its worst slowdown in decades with the country's economic growth dropping to 4.5 per cent in July-September quarter – its lowest quarterly growth in six years. Between 2013 and 2017, India was the world's top arms importer, accounting for 12 per cent of total imports globally, with Russia, Israel and the United States among the top suppliers. According to government data, India's major defence export customers include Italy, Sri Lanka, Russia and France. The exports, primarily made by government ordnance factories and private firms such as L&T, Bharat Forge and Tata group, including offshore patrol vessels, helicopters, coastal surveillance systems and spares for radar. India's armed forces, saddled with outdated aircraft and warships, are in dire need of funds for modernisation. However, with the government possibly set to break its own fiscal deficit target due to slowing growth, funds allocated for modernisation have been barely enough, experts have said. Laxman Behera, research fellow at Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, said in a report released on Tuesday that India's defence resource crunch had been acute in recent years. India's budget for modernisation of weapons, aircraft and warships announced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman last week stood at 906 billion rupees, out of a total allocated defence budget of 3,230.5 billion rupees. With a meagre hike of 2.55 billion rupees over the revised estimates of last year's budget, said Laxman from IDSA called funding for the country's military "grossly under-provisioned." US ambassador to India Kenneth Juster said lower offset obligations, a mandatory financial commitment locally by global firms partnering with India and less regulations can help India bring in billions of dollars in foreign investment.

India aims to double defence exports in five years amid resource crunch

India&#39;s defence minister Manohar Parrikar has written a letter to&nbsp;West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, expressing his pain over the dragging of the army into a controversy.

In his letter, Parrikar said political parties and politicians may have the luxury of making wild and unsubstantiated allegations against each other but one needs to be extremely careful while referring to the armed forces.

&quot;Your allegation, in this regard run the risk of adversely impacting the morale of the country&#39;s armed forces and the same were not expected from a person of your standing and experience in public life,&quot; he said.

&quot;I take strong exception to your wild assertion,&quot;&nbsp;Mamata said in response to&nbsp;Parrikar&#39;s letter.

In his letter, Parrikar asserted that the army authorities were forced to put the record straight in the matter by presenting evidence of their communication with the concerned state agencies including rescheduling of the data collection operation on their request.

&quot;I have been deeply pained by your&nbsp;allegations as reported in the media.&nbsp;If only you had enquired with the concerned agencies of the State government, you would have come to know of the extensive correspondence between the Army and the state agencies including the joint inspection of sites carried out by them,&quot; he added.

&nbsp;

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-lang="en">
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar&#39;s letter to WB CM Mamata Banerjee, expresses pain over dragging the Army into controversy <a href="https://t.co/LVAsdoscsl">pic.twitter.com/LVAsdoscsl</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI_news) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI_news/status/807080214287126528">December 9, 2016</a></blockquote>

He further said that such exercise is being carried out by all formation of the army throughout the country for many years according to the dates convenient to them in consultation with concerned agencies of the state governments. Banerjee had earlier demanded &quot;withdrawal of the army&quot; from the state, alleging it has been done by keeping her government &quot;in the dark&quot;.

Trinamool Congress party leader Derek O&#39;Brien said, &quot;Letter has not reached the CM and it&#39;s already leaked to media. We will give a befitting reply when it comes.&quot;

On December 2, the&nbsp;presence of army personnel at toll plazas in eastern West Bengal state triggered a row with Banerjee remaining at the state secretariat overnight in protest, asking was it an &quot;army coup&quot;, drawing a stinging condemnation from the ruling government which said the remark showed her &quot;political frustration&quot;.

Accusing the&nbsp;government of &quot;deploying the army&quot; along a highway toll plaza at the second Hooghly Bridge, about 500 metres from the secretariat &#39;Nabanna&#39; in neighbouring Howrah district, Banerjee had said she would not leave the secretariat till the army was withdrawn from there.

(This article first appeared in DNA)

Your coup allegations run the risk of adversely impacting the morale of the country's defence forces, he said

India's defence minister Manohar Parrikar has written a letter to West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, expressing his pain over the dragging of the army into a controversy. In his letter, Parrikar said political parties and politicians may have the luxury of making wild and unsubstantiated allegations against each other but one needs to be extremely careful while referring to the armed forces. "Your allegation, in this regard run the risk of adversely impacting the morale of the country's armed forces and the same were not expected from a person of your standing and experience in public life," he said. "I take strong exception to your wild assertion," Mamata said in response to Parrikar's letter. In his letter, Parrikar asserted that the army authorities were forced to put the record straight in the matter by presenting evidence of their communication with the concerned state agencies including rescheduling of the data collection operation on their request. "I have been deeply pained by your allegations as reported in the media. If only you had enquired with the concerned agencies of the State government, you would have come to know of the extensive correspondence between the Army and the state agencies including the joint inspection of sites carried out by them," he added. Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar's letter to WB CM Mamata Banerjee, expresses pain over dragging the Army into controversy pic.twitter.com/LVAsdoscsl — ANI (@ANI_news) December 9, 2016 He further said that such exercise is being carried out by all formation of the army throughout the country for many years according to the dates convenient to them in consultation with concerned agencies of the state governments. Banerjee had earlier demanded "withdrawal of the army" from the state, alleging it has been done by keeping her government "in the dark". Trinamool Congress party leader Derek O'Brien said, "Letter has not reached the CM and it's already leaked to media. We will give a befitting reply when it comes." On December 2, the presence of army personnel at toll plazas in eastern West Bengal state triggered a row with Banerjee remaining at the state secretariat overnight in protest, asking was it an "army coup", drawing a stinging condemnation from the ruling government which said the remark showed her "political frustration". Accusing the government of "deploying the army" along a highway toll plaza at the second Hooghly Bridge, about 500 metres from the secretariat 'Nabanna' in neighbouring Howrah district, Banerjee had said she would not leave the secretariat till the army was withdrawn from there. (This article first appeared in DNA)

India: Parrikar writes to Mamata, says did not expect this from you

Indian defence minister Manohar Parrikar on Monday commissioned the INS Chennai, the country&#39;s third indigenously-designed guided missile destroyer in the Kolkata class, news agency Press Trust of India reported.

The ship was constructed by Mazagaon Dock Shipbuilders Limited in Mumbai.

&#39;INS Chennai&#39; is one of the largest destroyers constructed in India and at 164 metres in length and with a displacement of over 7,500 tonnes, the ship is also one of the largest in the Indian fleet.&nbsp;

Armed with supersonic surface to surface &#39;BrahMos&#39; missiles and &#39;Barak-8&#39; long-range surface to air missiles, the ship possesses formidable missile technology prowess.&nbsp;

The ship is designed to carry and operate up to two multi-role helicopters.

The ship is going to be assigned to the western fleet after completion of some additional trials of systems deployed on it, PTI reports.&nbsp;

INS Chennai will be placed under the operational and administrative control of the Western Naval Command.

(WION with inputs from PTI)

With a displacement of over 7,500 tons, the Chennai is one of the largest destroyers in the Indian Navy's fleet

Indian defence minister Manohar Parrikar on Monday commissioned the INS Chennai, the country's third indigenously-designed guided missile destroyer in the Kolkata class, news agency Press Trust of India reported. The ship was constructed by Mazagaon Dock Shipbuilders Limited in Mumbai. 'INS Chennai' is one of the largest destroyers constructed in India and at 164 metres in length and with a displacement of over 7,500 tonnes, the ship is also one of the largest in the Indian fleet. Armed with supersonic surface to surface 'BrahMos' missiles and 'Barak-8' long-range surface to air missiles, the ship possesses formidable missile technology prowess. The ship is designed to carry and operate up to two multi-role helicopters. The ship is going to be assigned to the western fleet after completion of some additional trials of systems deployed on it, PTI reports. INS Chennai will be placed under the operational and administrative control of the Western Naval Command. (WION with inputs from PTI)

India: Defence minister Parrikar commissions new warship INS Chennai

India&#39;s defence minister Manohar Parrikar today said it would take &quot;some days&quot; to secure the release of the Army jawan who &quot;inadvertently&quot; crossed over into Pakistan because of the prevailing tensions between the two South Asian countries.

&nbsp;

The minister, however, assured that a &quot;well-established mechanism&quot; had been activated to bring the soldier back, Indian news agency PTI reported.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The army jawan, Chandu Babulal Chavan, from 37 Rashtriya Rifles (a branch of the Indian Army under the authority of the Indian ministry of Defence) had crossed over to the other side of the Line of Control on September 30.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&quot;He had crossed over which happens in border areas. There is a well-established mechanism through DGMO (Director General of Military Operations) which has been activated. Since the situation is tense right now, it will take some days to bring the soldier back,&quot; the minister, while inaugurating a cleanliness drive, said.

&nbsp;

Parrikar also said that people should remain alert and report anything unusual to the police.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Indian Army on Thursday announced that it had conducted surgical strikes on five terrorist launchpads across the Line of Control in Pakistan-administered Kashmir killing several militants.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Pakistan, however, denied the strikes and instead claimed it had captured one Indian soldier while he was trying to cross the LoC during cross-border shelling. Pakistani media also quoted the country&#39;s security forces as saying that eight Indian soldiers had been killed in the cross-border firing.

&nbsp;

The Indian army dismissed these claims, stating that that there was no relation between the surgical strikes and the soldier crossing the border the next day.

&nbsp;

&quot;Such inadvertent crossing by army and civilians are not unusual on either side. They are returned through existing mechanisms,&quot; the Indian Army had said in an official statement.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

India&#39;s surgical strikes were a direct response to the attack by Pakistani militants in Uri on September 18 that claimed the lives of 19 soldiers.

&nbsp;

After an increase in derogatory comments between the two sides, Parrikar on Saturday likened Pakistan to a patient under the influence of anaesthesia. &nbsp;&quot;It is just like anaesthesia. When anaesthesia is given, you don&#39;t realise the surgery is over. It&#39;s been two days and Pakistan has still no idea what has happened,&quot; he had said.

&nbsp;

Indian interior minister Rajnath Singh had called up the family of the solider on Friday and assured them that efforts are being made to secure his release.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Chavan&#39;s grandmother had passed away after hearing the news of his crossing over to Pakistan, according to local media reports.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Indian and Pakistani troops exchanged fresh fire across their border on Saturday even as UN chief Ban Ki-moon offered to mediate. However, there were no reports of activity on Sunday.

&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from agencies) 
&nbsp;

India says the soldier was captured after he 'inadvertently' crossed over into the Pakistani side of the Line of Control

India's defence minister Manohar Parrikar today said it would take "some days" to secure the release of the Army jawan who "inadvertently" crossed over into Pakistan because of the prevailing tensions between the two South Asian countries. The minister, however, assured that a "well-established mechanism" had been activated to bring the soldier back, Indian news agency PTI reported. The army jawan, Chandu Babulal Chavan, from 37 Rashtriya Rifles (a branch of the Indian Army under the authority of the Indian ministry of Defence) had crossed over to the other side of the Line of Control on September 30. "He had crossed over which happens in border areas. There is a well-established mechanism through DGMO (Director General of Military Operations) which has been activated. Since the situation is tense right now, it will take some days to bring the soldier back," the minister, while inaugurating a cleanliness drive, said. Parrikar also said that people should remain alert and report anything unusual to the police. Indian Army on Thursday announced that it had conducted surgical strikes on five terrorist launchpads across the Line of Control in Pakistan-administered Kashmir killing several militants. Pakistan, however, denied the strikes and instead claimed it had captured one Indian soldier while he was trying to cross the LoC during cross-border shelling. Pakistani media also quoted the country's security forces as saying that eight Indian soldiers had been killed in the cross-border firing. The Indian army dismissed these claims, stating that that there was no relation between the surgical strikes and the soldier crossing the border the next day. "Such inadvertent crossing by army and civilians are not unusual on either side. They are returned through existing mechanisms," the Indian Army had said in an official statement. India's surgical strikes were a direct response to the attack by Pakistani militants in Uri on September 18 that claimed the lives of 19 soldiers. After an increase in derogatory comments between the two sides, Parrikar on Saturday likened Pakistan to a patient under the influence of anaesthesia. "It is just like anaesthesia. When anaesthesia is given, you don't realise the surgery is over. It's been two days and Pakistan has still no idea what has happened," he had said. Indian interior minister Rajnath Singh had called up the family of the solider on Friday and assured them that efforts are being made to secure his release. Chavan's grandmother had passed away after hearing the news of his crossing over to Pakistan, according to local media reports. Indian and Pakistani troops exchanged fresh fire across their border on Saturday even as UN chief Ban Ki-moon offered to mediate. However, there were no reports of activity on Sunday. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Will take few days to secure release of soldier who crossed into Pakistan: India's defence minister

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