Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday said that the nature of warfare has changed significantly, with conflicts no longer confined to geographical borders.
Speaking at an event in Nagpur, he noted that
modern wars now extend into areas such as energy, trade, tariffs, supply chains, technology and information.
Singh was addressing a gathering at the inauguration of a medium-calibre ammunition manufacturing facility set up by Solar Industries.
“Wars have become very complex and are not limited to borders but even energy, trade, tariff, supply chains, technology and information are now part of its new dimensions,” he said.
He said that in earlier years, defence production in India was largely handled by the public sector, and private companies were rarely involved in the process.
The Defence Minister pointed out that although the private sector had the ability and resources to contribute, its role in defence manufacturing remained limited for a long time. He said doubts and challenges existed when India began moving towards atmanirbharta (self-reliance) in defence production.
However, Singh said the present government chose to place its trust in private industry by reforming policies and simplifying procedures to encourage wider participation.
“It is also resulting in good quality, better timelines, as well as improvement in productivity and delivery. Our defence ecosystem has improved a lot. The way scientific temperament and technology-driven approach has developed in the private defence sector is very laudable,” he said.
The Defence Minister added that these changes have strengthened India’s defence ecosystem and helped build a more modern, efficient and technology-focused manufacturing base.
