India has been focussing on 'aatmanirbharta' in its defence sector, says PM Modi

PM Modi said that even during British rule and right after independence, India’s defence manufacturing strength was very high.

Image Source: ANI

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Friday (February 25), said that India has been focussing on 'aatmanirbharta' in its defence sector adding that the commitment towards self-reliance can be seen in the recently introduced Union Budget. 

While delivering the inaugural address at the post-budget webinar ‘Aatmanirbharta in Defence-Call to Action', Modi said even during British rule and right after independence, India’s defence manufacturing strength was very high. 

“In WWII, arms manufactured in India played a major role. However, in the following years, this strength weakened. But this shows that India never had a dearth of capabilities,” he added. 

In the last few years, India has been focussing on 'aatmanirbharta' in its defence sector. You can see the commitment for it in this year's budget too: PM Narendra Modi delivers the inaugural address at post-budget webinar ‘Aatmanirbharta in Defence-Call to Action' pic.twitter.com/7uGHPxlRfo — ANI (@ANI) February 25, 2022

During the Union Budget 2022 presentation, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had said that the government is committed to reducing imports and promoting self-reliance in the defence sector. 

She said that the local industry would receive 68 per cent of the capital allocated to the defence sector, adding that 5% of the Universal Service Obligation (USO) Fund would be allocated to research and development and technology upgrades. Also Read: Sensex, Nifty rebound 2% tracking recovery in Asian markets

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