Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said a three-pronged approach is being adopted to address internal security challenges that includes development of areas hit by terrorism and a desire to go "more than half way" to negotiate with dissatisfied groups to secure political settlements of issues.

The defence minister, addressing an online seminar, also said the government was willing to challenge the status quo if it becomes a tool for the exploitation of helpless citizens and the provisions of governance.

Though the defence minister did not refer to any specific situation or issue, his comments come in the backdrop of the government's renewed push for socio-economic development in Jammu and Kashmir as well as in the militancy-infested states of the northeastern region.

"We have undertaken a three-pronged approach towards internal security challenges as well. This includes the development of areas affected by terrorism along with the provision of justice to the aggrieved," he said.

"It also includes the ability and desire to go more than half way to negotiate settlements with dissatisfied groups to enable a political settlement. And finally, we are also willing to challenge status quo, if the status quo becomes a tool for the exploitation of helpless citizens and the provisions of governance," Singh said.

In his address at the seminar at the National Defence College, the defence minister also noted that the government was cognisant of the fact that India's stability and security are closely associated with the ability to grow economically at a desirable rate.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/national-defence-college-opens-doors-for-5-countries-nepal-myanmar-and-bangladesh-get-more-seats-340582" hreflang="en">National Defence College opens doors for 5 countries; Nepal, Myanmar and Bangladesh get more seats</a>

"This progression can only be sustained through our ability to adapt, innovate and strengthen the fundamentals that contribute to this process. On the larger issue of economic security, the government has focused on all aspects of development in sectors of land, labour, capital and industry," he added.

Talking about the country's overall approach in dealing with multiple security challenges, he said the government has developed a blueprint to confront them over the next decade.

"The first is the ability to secure India's territorial integrity and sovereignty from external threats and internal challenges. Second, the ability to create secure and stable conditions that can facilitate India's economic growth," he said.

"Third, we remain steadfast in the desire to protect our interests beyond the borders in areas where our people reside and our security interests converge. And finally, we also believe that in a globalised and interconnected world, a country's security interests are interlinked by shared and secure commons," he added.

The defence minister said each of these principles is defining the way in which India is approaching various elements of its security policy.

"Based on these principles, we have brought about drastic changes in our security policy which are oriented towards strong, legally and morally tenable actions," he said.

"We have proved that countries that employ terrorism as an instrument of national policy can also be deterred through options that were considered unimplementable in the past," the defence minister said, in a clear reference to Pakistan.

Singh also listed various reform measures undertaken by the government to stimulate the economy including in areas of infrastructure, health, education, sanitation, drinking water, energy and defence.

"As India grows, there is a simultaneous movement of people beyond our shores and a growth of our interests worldwide. This entails that we should be able to safeguard Indian citizens who now work across the globe," he said.

"In the past, we have displayed the ability to not only evacuate Indian citizens but also people of different nationalities from war torn and calamitous areas. In fact, we have also successfully provided support and relief as the first responders in our neighbourhood as well," the defence minister said.&nbsp;

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said a three-pronged approach is being adopted to address internal security challenges that includes development of areas hit by terrorism and a desire to go "more than half way" to negotiate with dissatisfied groups to secure political settlements of issues.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said a three-pronged approach is being adopted to address internal security challenges that includes development of areas hit by terrorism and a desire to go "more than half way" to negotiate with dissatisfied groups to secure political settlements of issues. The defence minister, addressing an online seminar, also said the government was willing to challenge the status quo if it becomes a tool for the exploitation of helpless citizens and the provisions of governance. Though the defence minister did not refer to any specific situation or issue, his comments come in the backdrop of the government's renewed push for socio-economic development in Jammu and Kashmir as well as in the militancy-infested states of the northeastern region. "We have undertaken a three-pronged approach towards internal security challenges as well. This includes the development of areas affected by terrorism along with the provision of justice to the aggrieved," he said. "It also includes the ability and desire to go more than half way to negotiate settlements with dissatisfied groups to enable a political settlement. And finally, we are also willing to challenge status quo, if the status quo becomes a tool for the exploitation of helpless citizens and the provisions of governance," Singh said. In his address at the seminar at the National Defence College, the defence minister also noted that the government was cognisant of the fact that India's stability and security are closely associated with the ability to grow economically at a desirable rate. Also read| National Defence College opens doors for 5 countries; Nepal, Myanmar and Bangladesh get more seats "This progression can only be sustained through our ability to adapt, innovate and strengthen the fundamentals that contribute to this process. On the larger issue of economic security, the government has focused on all aspects of development in sectors of land, labour, capital and industry," he added. Talking about the country's overall approach in dealing with multiple security challenges, he said the government has developed a blueprint to confront them over the next decade. "The first is the ability to secure India's territorial integrity and sovereignty from external threats and internal challenges. Second, the ability to create secure and stable conditions that can facilitate India's economic growth," he said. "Third, we remain steadfast in the desire to protect our interests beyond the borders in areas where our people reside and our security interests converge. And finally, we also believe that in a globalised and interconnected world, a country's security interests are interlinked by shared and secure commons," he added. The defence minister said each of these principles is defining the way in which India is approaching various elements of its security policy. "Based on these principles, we have brought about drastic changes in our security policy which are oriented towards strong, legally and morally tenable actions," he said. "We have proved that countries that employ terrorism as an instrument of national policy can also be deterred through options that were considered unimplementable in the past," the defence minister said, in a clear reference to Pakistan. Singh also listed various reform measures undertaken by the government to stimulate the economy including in areas of infrastructure, health, education, sanitation, drinking water, energy and defence. "As India grows, there is a simultaneous movement of people beyond our shores and a growth of our interests worldwide. This entails that we should be able to safeguard Indian citizens who now work across the globe," he said. "In the past, we have displayed the ability to not only evacuate Indian citizens but also people of different nationalities from war torn and calamitous areas. In fact, we have also successfully provided support and relief as the first responders in our neighbourhood as well," the defence minister said.

India adopting three-pronged approach to address internal security challenges, says Rajnath Singh

France and India on Thursday played down the security risk posed by leaked data on French-designed submarines that a source told Reuters was probably stolen by a French former employee and that has raised concerns over a $38 billion contract with Australia. 
 
More than 22,000 pages of data about six submarines that France&#39;s DCNS is building for India&#39;s navy looked to have been stolen in 2011 by a subcontractor who was fired while providing training in India, the source said. 
 
India&#39;s defence ministry said on Thursday that it saw no immediate security risk and the French government said the information in the documments only showed how the submarines operate and did not compromise their security. 
 
India and France are investigating after The Australian newspaper published on Wednesday details about its Scorpene submarines being built in India by contractor DCNS - 35 percent owned by Thales and 65 percent by the French state. 
 
&quot;It is not a leak, it is theft,&quot; the source said. &quot;We have not found any DCNS negligence, but we have identified some dishonesty by an individual.&quot; 
 
The French government source said security procedures would be strengthened for all employees going to work in Australia to ensure one person did not have access to so many documents. 
 
The documents were not classified and at this stage appeared to only focus on how the submarines are operated not how they are built and whether they can be detected, the source said. 
 
&quot;The Indians can object to the fact that these documents show the Pakistanis how to maintain their submarines and that&#39;s annoying, but it doesn&#39;t tell the Pakistanis how to detect an Indian ship, or how we build a submarine in France. Not at all,&quot; the source said. 
 
The newspaper published only a fraction of the documents, and these had been redacted, meaning that sensitive details relating to the Scorpene&#39;s design and stealth capabilities did not enter the public domain. 
 
&quot;The documents that have been posted ... have been examined and do not pose any security compromise as the vital parameters have been blacked out,&quot; an Indian defence ministry statement said. 
 
The submarines are being built at a state-run shipyard in Mumbai. The first is expected to enter service by the end of the year as India seeks to rebuild its dwindling fleet and assert its dominance in the strategic waters of the Indian Ocean. 
 
The leak has raised doubts about the security of a separate DCNS submarine project in Australia where it is locked in exclusive negotiations after seeing off rivals on a contract to build the Barracuda next generation of submarines. 
 
DCNS said it was working to determine if any harm had been caused to clients and whether commercial espionage was to blame. 
 
DCNS is also pitching for submarine contracts in Norway and Poland and beat Germany&#39;s ThyssenKrupp AG and a Japanese-government backed bid by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Kawasaki Heavy Industries in Australia. 
 
French officials have sought to play down the impact on the Australia contract. 
 
&quot;The dialogue with Australia has not been cut at all. There is mutual confidence and I don&#39;t believe at all that this contract will be put into question,&quot; Patricia Adam, the head of France&#39;s parliamentary defence committee.&nbsp; 
 
(Reuters)

India said it saw no immediate security risk, the French said the leaked documents only showed how the submarines operate

France and India on Thursday played down the security risk posed by leaked data on French-designed submarines that a source told Reuters was probably stolen by a French former employee and that has raised concerns over a $38 billion contract with Australia. More than 22,000 pages of data about six submarines that France's DCNS is building for India's navy looked to have been stolen in 2011 by a subcontractor who was fired while providing training in India, the source said. India's defence ministry said on Thursday that it saw no immediate security risk and the French government said the information in the documments only showed how the submarines operate and did not compromise their security. India and France are investigating after The Australian newspaper published on Wednesday details about its Scorpene submarines being built in India by contractor DCNS - 35 percent owned by Thales and 65 percent by the French state. "It is not a leak, it is theft," the source said. "We have not found any DCNS negligence, but we have identified some dishonesty by an individual." The French government source said security procedures would be strengthened for all employees going to work in Australia to ensure one person did not have access to so many documents. The documents were not classified and at this stage appeared to only focus on how the submarines are operated not how they are built and whether they can be detected, the source said. "The Indians can object to the fact that these documents show the Pakistanis how to maintain their submarines and that's annoying, but it doesn't tell the Pakistanis how to detect an Indian ship, or how we build a submarine in France. Not at all," the source said. The newspaper published only a fraction of the documents, and these had been redacted, meaning that sensitive details relating to the Scorpene's design and stealth capabilities did not enter the public domain. "The documents that have been posted ... have been examined and do not pose any security compromise as the vital parameters have been blacked out," an Indian defence ministry statement said. The submarines are being built at a state-run shipyard in Mumbai. The first is expected to enter service by the end of the year as India seeks to rebuild its dwindling fleet and assert its dominance in the strategic waters of the Indian Ocean. The leak has raised doubts about the security of a separate DCNS submarine project in Australia where it is locked in exclusive negotiations after seeing off rivals on a contract to build the Barracuda next generation of submarines. DCNS said it was working to determine if any harm had been caused to clients and whether commercial espionage was to blame. DCNS is also pitching for submarine contracts in Norway and Poland and beat Germany's ThyssenKrupp AG and a Japanese-government backed bid by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Kawasaki Heavy Industries in Australia. French officials have sought to play down the impact on the Australia contract. "The dialogue with Australia has not been cut at all. There is mutual confidence and I don't believe at all that this contract will be put into question," Patricia Adam, the head of France's parliamentary defence committee. (Reuters)

India, France downplay security risk of leaked submarine data

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India adopting three-pronged approach to address internal security challenges, says Rajnath Singh

India, France downplay security risk of leaked submarine data