Rajnath Singh Highlights India’s Push for Indigenous Defence Manufacturing at Symbiosis Convocation

By A Staff Reporter

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday highlighted India’s transformative journey in defence manufacturing, stressing the country’s commitment to self-reliance. Speaking at the Convocation Ceremony of Symbiosis Skills and Professional University in Pune, he traced the challenges faced by India’s defence sector since independence and the efforts undertaken to overcome them.

“The conditions in the defence sector that existed since independence, we have broken them,” Singh said. “We emphasised that India will manufacture weapons for its soldiers within the country itself. Things were very adverse for us. But we did not give up. We made every possible effort to boost defence manufacturing. And we started seeing positive results from our efforts.”

The Defence Minister underlined that decades of dependence on foreign imports were a significant hurdle for the armed forces. However, through strategic initiatives, policy reforms, and an emphasis on indigenous production, India has begun witnessing tangible progress in defence manufacturing capabilities.

Addressing the graduates, Singh urged them to embrace innovation, resilience, and skill development in their professional journeys. He highlighted that a self-reliant India depends on a new generation of skilled professionals capable of contributing to the nation’s strategic, technological, and industrial growth, particularly in critical sectors like defence.