India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh highlights rapid growth in domestic production, exports, and a comprehensive strategic roadmap aimed at making India a future-ready, technologically advanced military power by 2047, prioritising self-reliance and indigenous innovation.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has said the government is giving top priority to the modernisation of India’s armed forces, framing self-reliance in defence as central to national security and long-term military readiness. In an address broadcast on Akashvani on the eve of the 80th Independence Day, Singh said policies linked to “Aatmanirbhar Bharat” and “Make in India” have helped turn India into a country that can meet most of its own security needs while also becoming a defence manufacturing hub and exporter.
Singh pointed to sharp rises in domestic production and exports as evidence of that shift. According to the figures he cited, defence output has climbed from Rs 46,000 crore in 2014 to Rs 1.78 lakh crore in FY 2025-26, while exports have increased from Rs 686 crore in FY 2013-14 to Rs 38,424 crore in FY 2025-26. He said India now has 145 defence exporters selling to more than 80 countries, and voiced confidence that exports could reach Rs 50,000 crore by 2029.
The minister also highlighted a broader push in spending and procurement. He said the defence budget has risen to Rs 7.85 lakh crore in FY 2026-27, with capital expenditure and research spending also increasing sharply. Singh said the Defence Acquisition Council has approved projects worth more than Rs 8.75 lakh crore over the past year, and described procurement reforms, including a higher spending ceiling for field commanders and greater use of the revenue route, as part of an effort to speed up modernisation and support indigenous industry.
His remarks build on a wider strategic roadmap unveiled in March 2026, when Singh released “Defence Forces Vision 2047: A Roadmap for a Future-Ready Indian Military”. That document set out plans for a more integrated and technologically advanced force capable of operating across land, sea, air, cyber and space, with specialist structures for data analysis, drone operations, geo-spatial mapping and cognitive warfare. The blueprint reflects the growing emphasis on multi-domain conflict, where information, software and unmanned systems matter as much as conventional platforms.
Singh said recent tests of advanced systems, including the Tactical Advanced Range Augmentation system, the Advanced Agni missile with multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicle technology, and the indigenous Kusha long-range surface-to-air missile, show that Indian research and development is moving into more sophisticated territory. He also said the armed forces remain central to disaster relief, border-area development and the welfare of serving and retired personnel, while stressing the role of women in national defence and invoking the 150th anniversary of “Vande Mataram” as a symbol of patriotic renewal.
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