Aero India begins in Bengaluru; Defence Minister calls it 'Maha Kumbh' of country's might

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday, said that peace can never be achieved in a weak state of security, and only by being strong, we will be able to work for a better world order.Citing global uncertainties, he said that as a big country, India has always been an advocate of peace and stability.Speaking after inaugurating the 15th edition of Aero India here, he also highlighted that the time has come for the private sector to become an equal partner in the defence industry.“For us, there is no Indian security or Indian peace in isolation. Security, stability and peace are shared constructs that transcend national borders. The presence of our friends from foreign countries (at Aero India) is a testimony to the fact that our partners share our vision of One earth, One family, One future,” Singh said.He stressed the need to work together to deal with today's uncertainties and the new challenges emerging from today's perspectives.“Peace can never be achieved in a weak state of security. The banyan tree of peace can stand only on the roots of strength. I believe that we all have to be strong together, only then will we be able to ensure peace. Only by being strong, we will be able to work for a better world order,” he said.Further noting that in this environment of global uncertainty, India is a big country where there is peace and prosperity, the Defence Minister said, “If you assess the history of India, you will find that we have neither attacked any country nor have we been involved in any great power rivalry.”“As a big country, India has always been an advocate of peace and stability. And when I am saying this, it is not just a matter of saying, but it is a matter of our fundamental ideal,” he said.Pointing at the theme for Aero India, 'The Runway To A Billion Opportunities', Singh said, “I believe that there cannot be a more suitable theme than this. It tells us that in our country of a billion plus people, personifying a billion opportunities, this Aero show can be nothing less than that.”Aero India which starts today, has many objectives, he said, “The first important objective of Aero India is to showcase not only our Industrial capability but also our technological advancements, to the world.”Stating that there is a bigger objective of strengthening our symbiotic relations with friendly nations, Singh said, today the platform of Aero India, has brought together, government representatives, industry leaders, air force officers, Scientists, Defence Sector Experts, Start-ups, Academia and other stakeholders from across the world.“This confluence would be effective in bringing our partners closer together, ultimately benefiting us all,” he added.Noting that Maha Kumbh is underway in Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj and scores of people are taking a dip of faith and devotion there, the Defence Minister said, “I feel that another Maha Kubh is beginning today in the form of Aero India. While on one hand the Prayagraj Kumbh is a Kumbh of soul searching, and the Maha Kumbh of Aero India is a Kumbh of research.”Highlighting that India is going through a transformational phase and that the country is fast moving from being a developing to a developed nation, the Defence Minister said, in every sector, we see radical improvement, and India has made a huge jump in sectors like physical infrastructure, digital infrastructure, Start-up ecosystem, industrial support base, MSMEs, innovation.In the defence sector too there is a wave of innovation, he said.Historically, the defence industrial sector was viewed as a non-economic sector in India, and it was not seen as a component of the national economy, but merely as an unavoidable necessity in view of national security, Singh said. However, he said, in the last 10 years the government brought about a paradigm shift in this.“It is our endeavour that, just like sectors like agriculture, infrastructure, industry etc., the defence industrial sector should also be seen as an economic sector. This sector should be fully integrated with the overall economy. Overall, one of the main objectives of our campaign is also to do economic mainstreaming of the Defence Industrial Sector. Today, the Indian Defence Industrial sector is a motor, powering the growth engine of the Indian economy,” he said.In the last 10 years, the government has considered the defence sector as the top priority sector of the country, he said.Stating that the budgetary allocation for the sector has improved, Singh pointed out that a record Rs 6.81 lakh crore has been allocated for this sector in 2025-26 fiscal. This is 9.53 per cent increase from last year.The defence capital budget has also been increased to Rs 1.80 lakh crore for this fiscal, he added.He also lauded the contribution of Bengaluru in strengthening the defence ecosystem.India's domestic defence manufacturing is at a record level of over Rs 1.25 lakh crore, he further said, “Our defence export has crossed the record figure of Rs 21,000 crore for the first time. In the future, we are committed to making a significant increase in these figures.”

Aero India begins in Bengaluru; Defence Minister calls it 'Maha Kumbh' of country's might

Rajnath Singh says 'India has always been an advocate of peace and stability'

PTI

Aero India begins in Bengaluru; Defence Minister calls it 'Maha Kumbh' of country's might

Rajnath Singh says 'India has always been an advocate of peace and stability'

PTI

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