New Delhi, Aug 14 (UNI) Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday said that the Agnipath scheme, launched to make the forces young, fit, and healthy, is getting support from across the country, and this will increase the strength of the country.
He said that in the first two batches of this scheme, 40,000 Agniveers had completed their training.
Addressing the armed forces on All India Radio on the eve of Independence Day, Singh underlined the importance of youth in the armed forces.
He said, “The Agnipath Scheme will increase the strength of the country. It is getting support from the entire country. The youth of the country are joining the country's army with great enthusiasm.”
He said that the government has made many reforms to make the country self-reliant in the defence sector. Defence equipment worth Rs 6 lakh crore has been purchased from indigenous companies in the last ten years.
During the same period, the country's defence production has doubled, and domestic defence production has crossed the figure of Rs 1 lakh 25 thousand crore.
The minister said that there was a time when India was known as an arms importing country, but now it is making its mark as an exporter. The country's defence exports reached a record level of Rs 21 thousand crore in 2023-24.
In this year's Union Budget, Rs 6 lakh 22 thousand crore has been allocated to the Defence Ministry, which is the highest among all ministries.
He said that to promote innovation in the defence sector, the budgetary allocation for Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) has also been increased to Rs 518 crore as compared to Rs 115 crore last year.
The country is steadily moving towards self-reliance in terms of manufacturing weapons, tanks, fighter aircraft, helicopters, and missile systems for the armed forces.
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