New Delhi, April 17 (IANS) Highlighting the growing production capabilities, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Thursday that India today stands shoulder to shoulder with developed nations in critical areas such as missile technology (Agni, BrahMos), submarines (INS Arihant), aircraft carriers (INS Vikrant), AI, drones and cyber defence.

Sharing his vision of a self-reliant and future-ready country at a programme, Rajnath Singh said: "With a clear focus on indigenisation, innovation, and global leadership, he declared that India is not only securing its borders but also positioning itself as a key player in the international defence ecosystem."

"The day is not far when India will not only emerge as a developed country, but our military power will also emerge as the number one in the world," he added.

The Defence Minister reiterated that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the revival and strengthening of the defence sector is one of the biggest priorities for the government.

He stated that the government's first and foremost challenge was to change the mindset that India would simply import to meet its defence needs.

"India will reduce its dependency on imports and create a defence industrial complex that will not only meet India’s needs but will also strengthen the potential of defence exports," he emphasised.

"Today, while India's defence sector is moving ahead on the path of self-reliance, it is also ready to play a very important role in making global supply chains resilient," he said.

The Defence Minister added that the Make in India programme is not only strengthening the country's defence production but also helping the country make the global defence supply chain resilient and flexible.

Rajnath Singh said stated that while India's defence manufacturing capabilities are aimed at national security and strategic autonomy, they are also insulating manufacturing from global supply shocks.

He underlined that India’s growing defence capability is not meant to provoke conflict.

“Our defence capabilities are like a credible deterrence, to maintain peace and tranquillity. Peace is possible only when we remain strong,” he added.