India's Defence Minister Rajnath Singh Pushes Self‑Reliant Defence and Infrastructure

At the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) Strategic Infrastructure Conclave in New Delhi on July 16, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said that roads, tunnels, airfields and ports are as essential to national security as advanced weapons. He highlighted projects such as the Atal Tunnel, the Umling La Pass road and the Sela Tunnel as examples of India's strategic‑infrastructure capability.

Speaking at a Forces First Conclave on July 18, Singh noted that the Modi‑led NDA government has moved the defence sector from dependence on imports toward self‑reliance. He pointed to record indigenous production of about Rs 1.78 lakh crore annually, exports to nearly 100 countries, and a target of Rs 3 lakh crore annual output by 2029.

Singh also reaffirmed a zero‑tolerance stance on terrorism, citing Operation Sindoor as a showcase of home‑grown technological warfare, and warned that reliance on foreign weapons limits a nation's strategic and military autonomy.