Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, April 18 (IANS) Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday said that the government's wish to make India self-reliant in the defence manufacturing is commendable, adding "we are committed to making the country self-reliant and the country is succeeding in that".

“We have now started exporting defence equipment manufactured in the country and we have increased this export from Rs 600 crore to Rs 2,400 crore. Our policy is to manufacture more than 500 products required in the defence sector domestically. There is a plan to reduce imports and increase defence products to Rs 3 lakh crore,” the Defence Minister said.

Rajnath Singh said this while speaking at a seminar organised by the Chamber of Marathwada Industries and Agriculture. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was also present on the occasion.

“The country is becoming self-reliant by reducing the import of products required for defence equipment. Currently, more than 500 products are being manufactured in the country," he said.

The Defence Minister, meanwhile, invited CM Fadnavis to lead a delegation of entrepreneurs to Delhi for further discussions.

"There are unlimited opportunities in the defence equipment manufacturing sector. In order to accommodate the bold entrepreneurs of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, a delegation of entrepreneurs led by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis should come to Delhi for further discussions,” he added.

Earlier, the Chief Minister urged Rajnath Singh that a defence cluster should be created in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar especially when it has a good ecosystem for industry and the capabilities of entrepreneurs should be boosted.

The chief minister said that “Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar is now becoming the industrial magnet of Maharashtra. Nearly 10 thousand acres of land acquired for industrial estates has been distributed to industries and there is still demand from entrepreneurs. Therefore, there are plans to give another 8 thousand acres for industries. All the facilities like manpower, communication and energy are available. Therefore, entrepreneurs choose Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar for their ventures.”

The Maharashtra Chief Minister further said that Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar is a pioneer in the electric vehicle manufacturing industry.

"The bold and ambitious entrepreneurs here are trying to come forward in the defense equipment manufacturing industry. These entrepreneurs They should be encouraged. Just as the auto cluster in the country was developed here, a defense cluster should be created. There are unlimited opportunities in the defence equipment manufacturing industry. And the entrepreneurs of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar have full potential. To promote it, a defence cluster should be developed here,” he added.

Meanwhile, Rajnath Singh, who was accompanied by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, unveiled the statue of Maharana Pratap at another function held in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar.

“We do not do politics of religion. For us all Indians are equal. This is our culture. This is our thinking. We have learnt this from our ancestors. We have learnt this from our idol Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and from Maharana Pratap,” he said.

He added: "Our ideals were not at all anti-Islam and anti-Muslim. Hakim Khan Suri fought with Maharana Pratap in the battle of Haldighati and against the Mughals. There were people from the Muslim community in Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's army too. The most trusted servant among the bodyguards of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was a Muslim youth named Madari."

Amid the recent controversy over the demand for the removal of Aurangzeb’s tomb, the Defence Minister said: "Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru has called Aurangzeb a fanatic and bigoted ruler. He has written that he imposed Jaziya tax on Hindus. He tried to suppress Rajputs, Sikhs, Marathas, Rashtrakutas. He destroyed many of our Hindu temples. How can such a ruler be anyone's hero?

"In our history books, even a cruel and ruthless ruler like Aurangzeb has been presented in a glorified manner. Due to this wrong history, some people try to make Aurangzeb a hero. An attempt is being made to create sympathy for Aurangzeb without knowing the truth,” he claimed.