Defense Minister Rajnath said during Taliban crisis, challenges increased for India

Stressing on the need for a strong, capable and self-reliant defense industry in the country, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said on Thursday that the changing geopolitical situation in the world has added to the challenges of national security for India. The Defense Minister has said these things at a time when concerns are being expressed in many countries including India after the Taliban occupation in Afghanistan.

Without mentioning the Taliban or the Afghan crisis, the defense minister said, "The security situation around the world today is changing rapidly. Because of this, the challenges to our national security are growing and getting complicated. The global geopolitical situation is constantly changing.

He was speaking after inaugurating the 'Defense India Startup Challenge 5.0'. The Defense Minister said that keeping in mind the rapid change in security challenges, India has to focus on a strong, capable and self-reliant defense industry to meet the requirements of the Armed Forces. He further said, "It is necessary that we not only create a strong, modern and well-equipped force but also develop our defense industry, which is strong, capable and above all completely self-reliant."

Inviting the private sector to invest in this sector as well, the Defense Minister said, "Whenever it comes to technology, advanced countries like America, Japan, South Korea come to my mind. I have been told that these advanced countries have progressed on the strength of their technology. While assuring all possible cooperation from the government, I call upon the private sector to come forward and contribute towards building a strong and self-reliant defense sector.