Rajnath claimed that the Chinese Army disregarded the established procedure and tried to change the status quo along the LAC unilaterally during the standoff in East Ladakh in 2020.

He praised the Indian Army’s bravery and commitment for stopping the PLA’s attempts to alter the status quo.

Rajnath Singh reaffirmed the government’s commitment to resolving the border dispute amicably and through talks. He noted that negotiations to resolve the conflict are still taking place at the military and diplomatic levels.

He gave the nation the assurance that the administration will never make any concessions regarding India’s border, honour, or self-respect. He declared, “We will never permit the sanctity of our borders to be violated.”

He discussed the steps the administration had made to increase national security, including improving border infrastructure and achieving “Aatmanirbharta” in the military.

He outlined a number of actions taken to achieve self-reliance, including notifying positive indigenization lists and allocating 75% of the defence capital procurement budget for homegrown businesses in the fiscal year 2023–2024.

India wants to avoid relying on imported weapons. Our ability to manufacture our own weapons will only increase our sense of national security. ‘Make in India, Make for the World’ is our motto.

“The results of our labour are evident. Today, we produce different types of armaments, including tanks, aircraft carriers, submarines, and others. From a pitiful Rs 900 crore in 2013 to over Rs 16,000 crore in 2014, defence exports have increased. According to him, exports would soon reach the Rs 20,000 crore threshold.

Rajnath Singh also listed the institutional changes the government has made, such as the creation of the Department of Military Affairs and the appointment of a Chief of Defence Staff.

He continued by saying that the administration was still making progress and that efforts were being made to establish theatre commands, which would be yet another revolutionary change.

Rajnath Singh emphasised the value of collaboration with powerful nations like the US and Russia in defending India’s security interests in a globalised world. According to him, India and the US are increasingly considered as natural allies, and their strategic alliance is solidifying.

Rajnath stated that the increase of military-to-military engagements, information sharing, and collaboration in the sectors of artificial intelligence, cyber, space, and reciprocal logistics support have all contributed to the rapid growth of India-US defence cooperation.

He described the recent visit of the prime minister to the US as a historic occasion that marked the beginning of a new era for the two countries’ defence relations.

Rajnath Singh spoke on the agreement between Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and General Electric (GE) Aerospace to jointly develop F-414 fighter jet engines in India.

“With this agreement, we will join the list of nations that produce jet engines. These Made in India engines will be installed in Tejas aircraft, he said.

The Ministry of Defence will examine the cost of purchasing the drones with the best price General Atomics (GA) has offered to other nations, Rajnath said, rejecting speculative reports on the price and other terms of purchasing MQ-9B drones from the US.

He stated that only the existing procurement process would be used to make the deal.