Pune- Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said that 'Operation Sindoor' is the finest example of self-reliance in India's defence sector as the majority of the equipment used during the operation by the armed forces was indigenous.

Singh was speaking at the 6th convocation of the Symbiosis Skills & Professional University in Pune.

“We have started working towards becoming atmanirbhar (self-reliant) in the defence sector. In the initial phase, it was difficult because we were trying to transform the entire system. Since Independence, we had been dependent on other countries for weapons. It had become a necessity for us to buy defence equipment from abroad, and indigenous production was almost non-existent,” he said.

India has now“broken the barrier” that had existed since Independence, the minister said.

“We have given a strong push to manufacturing weapons within the country. This was not easy at all, as the nation had slipped into a comfort zone regarding defence procurement. We had become addicted to buying weapons from other countries,” he said.

There was neither the“political will” to produce weapons domestically nor the legal framework to promote defence manufacturing, Singh noted.

The youth of the country also lacked the inspiration to help India become self-reliant in this sector, the defence minister pointed out.

“The situation was not conducive for us; in fact, it was adverse. But even in such circumstances, we did not stop. We took every possible step to promote defence manufacturing, and today, those efforts are yielding visible results,” he said.

“You must have seen the bravery of our armed forces during Operation Sindoor. Operation Sindoor is the finest example of self-reliance in India's defence sector as the majority of the equipment used by the armed forces was indigenous,” he added.

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