Rajnath Singh Takes Charge For 2nd Term; Aims For Aatmanirbharta & Rs 50,000 Cr Defence Exports

Union Minister Rajnath Singh officially took charge as Defence Minister on Thursday, emphasising the Modi government's focus on building a strong, self-reliant ('Aatmanirbhar') defence sector.

Speaking at his office in South Block, Singh highlighted the government's commitment to boosting defence exports, aiming for Rs 50,000 crore over the next five years. “Our priority is the protection of the country and developing a self-reliant Bharat in defence manufacturing. We have already exported defence equipment worth over Rs 21,000 crore and aim to increase this to Rs 50,000 crore,” he said. Singh also expressed pride in the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force.

A CHASE India report outlines the ministry's focus on modernising the armed forces and central armed police forces with advanced weapons, equipment and technology. This includes accelerating infrastructure development along the Indo-China, Indo-Pakistan, and Indo-Myanmar borders and introducing technological solutions for fenced areas.

The report says that the ministry will also support the 'Make in India' initiative by procuring additional K-9 Vajra self-propelled howitzers and fighter aircraft engines. The report suggests developing an 'emerging tech' policy to provide greater grants for private sector technological advancements.

Under Singh's leadership, the defence ministry has implemented significant measures to enhance India's combat readiness along the China border and boost defence manufacturing. The ministry has aggressively pursued infrastructure improvements in frontier regions, facilitating faster military mobilisation in sensitive areas.

Rajnath Singh, who represents Lucknow in Parliament, first became Defence Minister on 1 June 2019. Born on 10 July 1951, in Chandauli, Uttar Pradesh, Singh holds a Master's degree in Physics from the University of Gorakhpur and was a teacher before entering politics.

He served in the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly from 1977-1980 and 2001-2003 and was the state's Education Minister from 1991 to 1992. Singh also served as Minister of Surface Transport (1999-2000), Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh (2000-2002), and Minister of Agriculture (2003) in the Union Cabinet. He was elected to the Rajya Sabha twice (1994-1999 and 2003-2008) and to the Lok Sabha in 2009. In the Modi government, he was the Home Affairs Minister from 2014.

Sanjay Seth, a Member of Parliament from Ranchi, Jharkhand, has been appointed as Minister of State in the Ministry of Defence. Elected to the Lok Sabha for the first time in 2019, Seth previously served on the Standing Committee on Information Technology and was re-elected in 2024.

Sangeet Kumar Sanu

BW Reporters Sangeet Kumar Sanu as a Correspondent reports on Defence, Space and Foreign Affairs for BW since 2022.