Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday said the role of women in the Indian military has grown in recent times and assured that their participation in the forces will continue to expand in the coming future.
Addressing the inaugural session of the ‘Firstpost Defence Summit 2024’ in New Delhi, Singh highlighted the increasing participation of women in various fields in India. “Women’s participation in various fields in India is continuously rising. As a Defence Minister, I can definitely say that their participation in the defence sector has grown with time and I assure you that their participation will further get bigger in the military.”
“The increasing participation of women in Indian armed forces was seen during the Republic Day celebrations on Kartavya Path this January 26,” the Defence Minister added.
‘India’s Defence Sector Advancing Towards Self-Reliance’
Speaking at the event, Rajnath Singh highlighted how India has undergone a significant transformation in its defence sector and is currently advancing towards “self-reliance”.
“We have radically changed the defence sector, the defence industrial sector is moving towards self-reliance. The output is evident,” he said.
The Defence Minister noted that soldiers are now equipped with weapons manufactured in India, by Indians. Singh also emphasised that the central government led by PM Narendra Modi firmly believes in the self-reliance of the Indian armed forces and asserts that reliance on military equipment from foreign nations is not sustainable.
“We have made sure that our Army uses indigenous resources and we took a step forward to even export these arms and equipment,” he stated.
Additionally, Singh noted that the central government has allocated 70 per cent of the country’s defence procurement budget to invest in “domestically-made weapons, aiming to bolster domestic companies”.
India Among Top 25 Arms Exporters
The Defence Minister said that India is among the “top 25 arms exporters” in the world. “Exporting weaponry requires us to venture outside of our comfort zone, and past governments did the same, but we have made that daring step,” he added.
Singh further highlighted that this year’s budget incorporates the highest allocation to the military ministry, amounting to 13 per cent of the entire budget. He added that the central government has “money, intention, ambition, and the ability to take risks”.
Integration of Army, Navy & Air Force
Singh mentioned that the Centre’s commitment to the integration of the Army, Navy, and Air Force. While acknowledging the initial challenges in the integration process, he expressed confidence that significant improvements have been made and better coordination among the three forces will soon be evident.
“We focused on long-term gains for our country’s defence. In the past couple of years the defence sector has been changed radically,” he added.
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