Heurged Indian Navy to maintain the momentum achieved thus far and assured that the steps taken by the government will give it more strength to increase the lethal strike capability…reports Asian Lite News.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday stressed on the need to have a strong Navy due to the country’s increasing dependence on the seas for national development, and for proactive engagement with the world.
Speaking on the last day of the four-day (October 18-21) Naval Commanders’ Conference, he praised Indian Navy to have lived up to expectations of the nation by establishing a visible, credible and responsive presence in the Indian Ocean Region.
He also complimented Indian Navy for providing medical aid to South West Indian Ocean Region countries, as part of Mission SAGAR which is in lines with PM Narendra Modi’s clarion call for Security And Growth for All in the Region; undertaking various HADR Operations in the wake of natural calamities; and providing succour to civil populace during the second wave of COVID-19.
The Defence Minister highlighted that Indian Navy has spent more than two-thirds of the Modernisation Budget in the last five years towards indigenous procurement and out of 41 ships and submarines ordered by the Navy, 39 are from Indian shipyards, which is a testament to the Navy’s commitment to ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’.
He urged Indian Navy to maintain the momentum achieved thus far and assured that the steps taken by the government will give it more strength to increase the lethal strike capability.
Addressed the Naval Commanders during the inaugural session of Commanders’ Conference and interacted with them on matters pertaining to the national maritime security.
Rajnath Singh emphasized that P75(I) project would be one of the largest ‘Make in India’ projects and complemented Indian Navy on the successful maiden Sea Trials of the indigenously designed and built Aircraft Carrier ‘Vikrant’ by overcoming challenges, including COVID related imponderables.
The Defence Minister also highlighted training as an effective tool in bolstering naval diplomacy and commended the Indian Navy in providing training to foreign personnel in India for more than four decades.
Further, in keeping with the evolving technological transformation world over in unmanned systems, an Integrated Unmanned Roadmap for Indian Navy was also promulgated by the Defence Minister during the conference. (India News Network)
Of the total amount approved, procurement worth Rs 11,486 crore (87 percent) is from domestic sources…reports Asian Lite News.
The Defence Ministry approved proposals including for Advanced Light Helicopters, guided munition and rocket ammunition valued at Rs 13,165 crore on Wednesday.
The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) in its meeting held under the chairmanship of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh accorded Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for Capital Acquisitions proposals for modernization and operational needs of the Indian Armed Forces amounting to approximately Rs 13,165 cr.
Of the total amount approved, procurement worth Rs 11,486 crore (87 percent) is from domestic sources.
Key approvals include helicopters, guided munition and rocket ammunition.
Looking into the need of the Indian Army for an Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) Squadron to improve its integral lift capability to ensure its operational preparedness, the DAC accorded approval of procurement of 25 LH Mark III helicopters from HAL under Buy Indian-IDDMA at an approximate cost of Rs 3,850 crore in keeping with the continued thrust towards ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ (Self Reliant India) and ‘Make in India’.
Giving a boost to Indigenous Design and Development of ammunition, the DAC accorded approval for procurement of Terminally Guided Munition (TGM) and HEPF/RHE Rocket Ammunition under Buy (Indian-IDDM) category at an approximate cost of Rs 4,962 crore from domestic sources.
Other proposals worth Rs 4,353 crore were also accorded AoN by the DAC.
In addition, the DAC also approved a few amendments to the DAP 2020 as a part of Business Process Re-engineering to ensure further ease of doing business for the industry as well as measures to enhance procurement efficiency and reduce timelines.
The Minister informed the House that this is an increase of Rs 21, 415.41crore (23.78%) over BE 2020-21 allocations…reports Asian Lite News.
The Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) has been allocated over 1 lakh crore to boost development of state-of-the-art platforms, weapon systems and sensors in the country, Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt told the Rajya Sabha in a written reply on Monday.
An amount of Rs 1,11,463.21 crore has been allocated under the Capital Acquisition Head (Modernisation) of Defence Services in BE 2021-22, he said.
The Minister informed the House that this is an increase of Rs 21, 415.41crore (23.78%) over BE 2020-21 allocations.
He further informed that DRDO has taken projects, for development of Products/Systems, in various technology domains.
Some of them are Missiles Systems, Airborne Early Warning & Surveillance, Fighter Aircrafts, Armoured Fighting Vehicles, Bridging and Mining Systems, Guided Munitions, Artillery Guns & Rockets, Small Arms & Ammunitions, Advanced Torpedoes & Advanced Sonar Suite, Electronic Warfare (EW), Long Range Radars, and Artificial Intelligence based Systems among others.
Under the Make in India project, the Minister informed that many significant projects including 155mm Artillery Gun system ‘Dhanush’, Bridge Laying Tank, Light Combat Aircraft ‘Tejas’, ‘Akash’ Surface to Air Missile system, Submarine ‘INS Kalvari’, Inshore Patrol Vessel, Offshore Surveillance Ship, ‘INS Chennai’, Anti-Submarine Warfare Corvette (ASWC), Arjun Armoured Repair and Recovery Vehicle, Landing Craft Utility, Bridge Laying Tank, Bi-Modular Charge System (BMCS) for 155mm Ammunition, Thermal Imaging Sight Mark-II for T-72 tank, 25 T Tugs, Water Jet Fast Attack Craft, Offshore Patrol Vessel, Fast Interceptor Boat, INS Kalvari, INS Khanderi, Medium Bullet Proof Vehicle (MBPV), Lakshya Parachute for Pilotless Target Aircraft, etc. have been produced in last few years.
Further, the Minister said that the central government has taken several policy initiatives and brought reforms to promote self-reliance in defence manufacturing. These policy initiatives are aimed at encouraging indigenous design, development and manufacture of defence equipment in the country, thereby reducing dependency on imports in the long run.
Listing the policy initiatives, the Minister in the reply to the Upper House of the parliament, said that DPP-2016 has been revised as Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP)- 2020, which is driven by the tenets of Defence Reforms announced as part of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan’.
He noted that in order to promote indigenous design and development of defence equipment ‘Buy {Indian-IDDM (Indigenously Designed, Developed and Manufactured)}’ category has been accorded top most priority for procurement of capital equipment.
Further, the Minister highlighted that the Ministry of Defence has notified two ‘Positive indigenisation lists’ of 209 items for which there would be an embargo on the import beyond the timeline indicated against them. This would offer a great opportunity to the Indian defence industry to manufacture listed items using their own design and development capabilities to meet the requirements of the Indian Armed Forces, he said.
He said that the ‘Make’ Procedure of capital procurement has been simplified. There is a provision for funding upto 70% of development cost by the Government to Indian industry under Make-IN category. In addition, there are specific reservations for MSMEs under the ‘Make’ procedure.
Short Span Bridging System-10 m designed and developed by DRDO has been inducted into Indian Army by the Chief of the Army Staff, General MM Naravane during a ceremony held today at Delhi Cantt. Secretary DDR&D and Chairman DRDO Dr G Satheesh Reddy was present on the occasion. pic.twitter.com/N8dRGFCDOM
Procedure for ‘Make-II’ category (Industry funded), introduced in DPP-2016 to encourage indigenous development and manufacture of defence equipment has a number of industry friendly provisions such as relaxation of eligibility criterion, minimal documentation, provision for considering proposals suggested by industry /individual etc. So far, 58 projects relating to Army, Navy & Air Force, have been accorded ‘Approval in Principle’, the Minister said.
The Minister recalled that the Government has approved enhanced delegation of Financial Powers under Capital Procurement to levels below the Vice-Chief of Armed Forces in February, 2021. The Government has also approved enhanced delegation of Financial Powers in the Make-I category under which public funding up to 70% of the prototype development cost is available for Design & Development of equipment, systems, major platforms or upgrades thereof.
The Government of India has enhanced FDI in Defence Sector up to 74% through the Automatic Route and up to 100% by the Government Route wherever it is likely to result in access to modern technology or for other reasons to be recorded.
He told the House that the government has established two Defence Industrial Corridors, one each in Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. The investments of Rs 20,000 Cr are planned in Defence corridors of Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu by year 2024.
Delhi: Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh launches a portal for ‘Opportunities For Make In India In Defence' via video conferencing facility as part of 'Atmanirbharta Saptah’
Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat also attends the valedictory session. pic.twitter.com/ghOUqHvwHS
So far, investment of approx. Rs 3342 crore have been made in both the corridors by public as well private sector companies. Moreover, the respective State Governments have also published their Aerospace & Defence Policies to attract private players as well as foreign companies including Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) in these two corridors.
An Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) on “Mutual Cooperation in Joint Manufacturing of Spares, Components, Aggregates and other material related to Russian/Soviet Origin Arms and Defence Equipment” was signed in September, 2019.
The objective of the IGA is to enhance the “After Sales Support” and operational availability of Russian origin equipment currently in service in Indian Armed Forces by organizing production of spares and components in the territory of India by Indian Industry by way of creation of Joint Ventures/Partnership with Russian Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) under the framework of the “Make in India” initiative.
Defence Products list requiring Industrial License has been rationalised and manufacture of most of parts or components does not require Industrial License. The initial validity of the Industrial Licence granted under the IDR Act has been increased from 03 years to 15 years with a provision to further extend it by 03 years on a case-to-case basis.
The Minister said that the Department of Defence Production has notified 46 items under the latest Public Procurement Order 2017 notified by Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), for which there is sufficient local capacity and competition and procurement of these items shall be done from local suppliers only irrespective of the purchase value.
Defence Investor Cell (DIC) was created in February 2018 in the Ministry to provide all necessary information including addressing queries related to investment opportunities, procedures and regulatory requirements for investment in the sector. So far, 1182 queries have been addressed by DIC, the minister said in his reply.
Rajnath Singh at the Karu Military Station in Ladakh on Monday. (Source Twitter@rajnathsingh)
India is always prepared to give a befitting reply if provoked, said Defence Minister Rajnath Singh…reports Asian Lite News
Lauding the exemplary courage displayed by the Indian Army during the Galwan Valley incident in June last year, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has said the country will never forget their sacrifice.
Singh stated that India is a peace-loving nation that never resorts to any kind of aggression, but at the same time, it is always prepared to give a befitting reply if provoked.
He was interacting with the officers and jawans of Indian Army’s 14 Corps at Karu Military Station on the second day of his three-day visit to Ladakh.
“Delighted to meet the brave and valiant soldiers of the Indian Army at Karu in Ladakh today. I salute their courage and fortitude,” Singh said on Twitter.
Rajnath Singh at the Karu Military Station in Ladakh on Monday. (Source Twitter @rajnathsingh)
On the night of June 15, 2020, 20 men from the Indian Army were killed in action during a violent face-off with the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in Eastern Ladakh’s Galwan Valley area. A large number of Chinese soldiers had also died, though China has never released the number of casualties.
Providing details about his address, the Ministry of Defence said Singh reiterated the Government’s stand of resolving disputes through dialogue with neighbouring countries.
He, however, assured the nation that “safety and security of the nation will not be compromised at any cost”. (INN)
The bridges, constructed by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), include a 50-metre-long bridge constructed on the Leh-Loma Road in Ladakh….reports Asian Lite News
In a major boost to connectivity in India’s border areas, 63 bridges in six states and two Union Territories (UTs) were inaugurated by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday.
The bridges, constructed by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), include a 50-metre-long bridge constructed on the Leh-Loma Road in Ladakh.
The crucial Leh-Loma Road, which connects Leh with places such as Chumathang, Hanley and Tso Morori Lake, is vital for access to forward areas in Eastern Ladakh, the Ministry of Defence said.
This single span steel super structure bridge, which replaces an existing bailey bridge, will ensure unhindered movement of heavy weapon systems, including guns, tanks and other specialised equipment.
Sixty-two more bridges were inaugurated virtually by Defence Miniser Singh. Of these, 11 are in Ladakh, four in Jammu & Kashmir, three in Himachal Pradesh, six in Uttarakhand, eight in Sikkim, one each in Nagaland and Manipur and 29 in Arunachal Pradesh.
With the inauguration of 63 bridges in one go, BRO has surpassed its own record of 44 bridges launched in 2020, the defence ministry pointed out.
These 63 bridges, combined with 12 roads dedicated to the nation by Defence Minister Singh on June 17, form a bouquet of 75 infrastructure projects completed by BRO, when the nation is celebrating the 75th anniversary of its Independence.
Underlining the importance of connectivity, especially in border areas for the development of a nation, the Defence Minister reaffirmed the Government’s resolve to ensure infrastructure development in far-flung border areas.
Singh added that today’s inauguration of 63 bridges was an important step in that direction. He expressed confidence that the bridges will play a crucial role in strengthening security as well as promoting the economic development of the respective states through improved connectivity.
The projects were inaugurated by the Defence Minister at an event held at Kyungam, 88 kms from Leh, the capital of Ladakh.
Ladakh Lieutenant Governor RK Mathur, Ladakh MP Jamyang Tsering Namgyal, General Officer-Commanding-in-Chief, Northern Command Lt Gen YK Joshi, DG Border Roads Lt Gen Rajeev Chaudhry and other senior civil & military officials from Ministry of Defence, Indian Army, BRO and civil administration were present.
Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jairam Thakur, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat, Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang; Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Development of North Eastern Region & Minister of State, PMO Jitendra Singh; MP from Jammu & Kashmir Jugal Kishore Sharma, MP from Uttarakhand Ajay Tamta and MP from Mizoram C Lalrosanga were among those who attended the event virtually. (INN)
The Karwal base visit will give the defence minister a first hand update of the infrastructure project important for future operations on the western front…reports Asian Lite News.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday reviewed the country’s largest naval infrastructure project — Project Seabird at Karwar Naval Base in Karnataka.
He will also review construction of indigenous aircraft carrier in Kochi.
Singh left New Delhi on a two day visit to Karwar and Kochi earlier in the day.
“Shall review the ongoing infrastructure development at Karwar and also the progress of construction of the Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC) at Kochi. Looking forward to this visit,” tweeted Defence Minister before leaving for Karwar.
Both the projects are extremely critical for Indian Navy’s capabilities and strategy in future.
The Karwal base visit will give the defence minister a first hand update of the infrastructure project important for future operations on the western front.
The first phase of the naval base called Operation Seabird was completed in 2005 and the second phase started in 2011. A 3,000 feet long runway, docking space for 30 warships, hangars for aircraft are part of the Rs 19,000 core project spread over 11,000 acres of land.
At Kochi, he will review construction of the aircraft carrier INS Vikrant which has faced many delays since work started on it in 2009.
An additional aircraft carrier is key in wake of growing Chinese forays in the Indian Ocean Region. While INS Vikrant awaits completion even after 11 years since work on it started, China’s first indigenous carrier was commissioned in 2018 within 3 years of starting construction.
India currently has INS Vikaramditya as the only operational aircraft carrier while INS Vikrant is under construction and the Indian Navy has been pressing for the third one but faces resistance from the government and military planners.
Visited Karwar Naval Base today to review the progress of ongoing infrastructure development under ‘Project Seabird’. I am confident that after the completion of this project, the Karwar Naval Base would become Asia's largest and most efficient Naval base. pic.twitter.com/8z6QcST4QM
Vikrant is in an advanced stage and is expected to sea trials soon and be fully ready by later 2022 or early 2023.
After Indian Navy’s aircraft carrier INS Virat was decommissioned it is left with one functional carrier.
On the other hand the Chinese Navy has two functional aircraft carriers with a third one expected to hit the seas soon but will take a while for it to be fully operational and a fourth one is also in the pipeline.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh with the troops who participated in the para dropping and other military exercises at Stankna near Leh. (Photo IANS)
Rajnath reiterated the resolve of the Government to connect all regions of the country to the overall national mainstream to provide an equal opportunity…reports Asian Lite News
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said India is the “priest” of world peace, but it has the full ability and strength to give a befitting reply to acts of aggression.
Dedicating the 20 km Kimin-Potin double lane road in Arunachal Pradesh and 11 other strategic road projects constructed by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) in Arunachal Pradesh and other places, he said any kind of disturbance in the peace and tranquility in the border areas is bound to have adverse implications. The 12 strategic roads would not only give a boost to connectivity, but facilitate faster movement of troops along the international border as well, the defence minister said.
Singh said: “The capacity of the BRO in construction of world-class roads despite challenges in tough and hilly terrain demonstrate the mantra of “Aatmanirbhar Bharat”. Praising the BRO for its contribution to the development of roads and other infrastructure in the remote border areas of the country, the Defence Minister virtually dedicated the 12 new roads to the nation.
He reiterated the resolve of the Government to connect all regions of the country to the overall national mainstream to provide an equal opportunity for development and growth.
Speaking on the occasion, Director General of BRO, Lt General Rajeev Chaudhry restated the efforts of the BRO in the overall development of Arunachal Pradesh and thanked the state for assisting the organisation to ensure development of infrastructure in a smooth manner.
: India is “priest” of peace, but has full ability to give an apt reply of aggression : Rajnath.
Out of the 12 road projects dedicated to the nation, one has been constructed in the Union Territory of Ladakh, one road in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and the remaining in Arunachal Pradesh.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu, Union Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju, Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat and senior BRO and Army officials attended the inaugural event.
Minister of State for Development of North Eastern Region, Jitendra Singh, was among the dignitaries who attended the event virtually.
US Defence Secretary Lloyd J Austin with India's Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in New Delhi
With Austin’s visit to India and plan to enhance defence cooperation with India, US is sending a strong signal to China against its growing military activities in South China Sea region, reports Asian Lite News
The bilateral meeting between Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and US Defence Secretary Lloyd James Austin on Saturday focussed on defence cooperation, expanding military-to-military engagement across services, information sharing, cooperation in emerging sectors of defence, and mutual logistics support.
“We had a comprehensive and fruitful discussion with Secretary Austin and his delegation. We are keen to work together to realise the full potential of the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership,” Singh said after the meeting.
Austin is on a three-day visit to India starting Friday. Upon arrival, he had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.
Singh said that they reviewed the wide gamut of bilateral and multilateral exercises and agreed to pursue enhanced cooperation with the US Indo-Pacific Command, Central Command and Africa Command.
“Acknowledging that we have in place the foundational agreements, LEMOA, COMCASA and BECA, we discussed steps to be taken to realise their full potential for mutual benefit,” he said.
US Defence Secretary Lloyd J Austin to Guard of Honour at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi on Saturday 20 March,2021. (Photo:IAN/Qamar Sibtain)
The minister pointed out that the recent Leaders’ Summit of India, the US, Japan and Australia under the Quad framework emphasised on the resolve to maintain a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region.
“We discussed the need for enhanced capacity building to address some of the non-traditional challenges such as oil spills and environmental disasters, drug trafficking, illegal, unreported, unregulated (IUU) fishing and others,” Singh said.
India is committed to further consolidate robust defence partnership with the US, the minister said.
After the meeting, Austin first expressed condolences for the tragic accident that killed an Indian Air Force pilot earlier this week.
“Our hearts go out to his family and friends. His death reminds us of the risks our brave service men and women take each day to defend our democracies, our people, and our way of life,” Austin said.
The US Defence Secretary said that he had a productive discussion on a number of security issues which are important to both the countries.
India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in a meeting with US Defence Secretary Lloyd J Austin in New Delhi
“And at the top of my agenda, I wanted to convey the Biden-Harris administration’s message of our strong commitment to our allies and partners,” he said.
India, in particular, is an increasingly important partner amid today’s rapidly shifting international dynamics, he said.
“I reaffirmed our commitment to a comprehensive and forward-looking defense partnership with India as a central pillar of our approach to the region. As the world faces a global pandemic and growing challenges to an open and stable international system, the US-India relationship is a stronghold of a free and open Indo-Pacific region,” Austin said.
He added that Prime Minister Narendra has stated that India stands for “freedom of navigation and overflight, unimpeded lawful commerce, and adherence to international law”.
“This is a resounding affirmation of our shared vision for regional security in the Indo-Pacific,” he said.
US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin meets Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Friday (Photo: @narendramodi)
“Our work today is grounded in our shared values and converging strategic interests. We discussed the opportunities to elevate the US-India Major Defence Partnership, which is a priority of the Biden-Harris administrationa, through regional security cooperation, military-to-military interactions, and defence trade,” Austin said.
He also pointed out that both the countries are continuing to advance new areas of collaboration, including information sharing, logistics cooperation, Artificial Intelligence, and cooperation in new domains such as space and cyber.
US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin meets India’s National Security Adviser Ajit Doval in New Delhi on Friday (Photo: @SecDef/Twitter)
“We also discussed engagement with like-minded partners through multilateral groupings such as the Quad and ASEAN. As the Indo-Pacific region faces acute transnational challenges, such as climate change, and challenges to a free and open regional order, cooperation among like-minded countries is imperative to secure our shared vision for the future.
“Despite today’s challenging security environment, the partnership between the US and India — the world’s two largest democracies — remains resilient and strong,” he said.
Later in the day during a presser at the US Embassy in the national capital, Austin said that they never thought India and China were at the threshold of a war due to the tensions in Ladakh.
