India's journey towards self-reliance aims to “conquer not only its economic limitations but also diplomatic constraints”, so that the country is able to achieve decisional autonomy, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Monday.
"A few decades back, 'freedom' meant getting rid of foreign rulers and colonial rule. 'Freedom' meant gaining political power," he said. “However, today, a dimension of 'self-reliance' has been added to the definition of freedom,” the minister stated in his speech at Naval Innovation and Indigenisation Organisation seminar here.
Indian spacecraft are taking other countries' satellites to space and in this manner, the country is not only self-reliant in many sectors but also satisfying the needs of other countries, Singh noted.
"Our self-reliance is meant to not only conquer our economic constraints but also our diplomatic constraints, so that the country is able to achieve decisional autonomy," he added. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar and Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar were also present at the seminar.
The Indian defence sector is moving towards self-reliance at a breakneck speed, Singh said. Many years back, the Indian Navy acted as a pioneer on this path by setting up in-house ship design organisations, he added.
The Indian Navy has taken important journey from being a “buyer's navy” to “builder's navy” through its different indigenous projects, the defence minister said, adding that the regular increase in indigenous content of the Indian warships is a big example of that."India has achieved a new image as it is working on being self-reliant in many sectors. The world is listening to India and is also looking towards our country with hope," Singh noted.
Under India's Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan, the Indian Navy during the last financial year spent 64 per cent of its capital budget on domestic procurement, he said. In the current financial year, the share of domestic procurement in Navy will increase to up to 70 per cent, the minister added.
The Indian Navy's role is going to increase in the Indian Ocean region and the Indo-Pacific region, Singh mentioned."I am absolutely sure that our Navy will be able to prove its worth whenever and wherever it is needed," he stated.
(With PTI Inputs)
