The achievements of the Ministry of Defence under PM Modi
When he became the PM, people expected the same aggression in political orders to the Defence Forces. Soon, the Ministry of Defence became a key focus of PM Modi’s cabinet. Respective Defence Ministers put in meticulous efforts to make Defence set up the face of new India. Let’s have a look at big-ticket changes.
Development & national security go hand-in-hand – The twin objectives in focus in MoD’s push for Aatmanirbharta in Defence
New India powered by indigenous ecosystem; INS Vikrant, LCH ‘Prachand’ and other new acquisitions strengthen the might of the Armed Forces
Record rise of defence exports – Emergence of Indian companies on the global stage
‘AGNIPATH’ rolled out to build a youthful, tech-savvy & future-ready Armed Forces – Agniveers to begin training
The Gati Shakti Master Plan, introduced by PM Modi on 13 October 2021, stands as a significant undertaking that aims to enhance collaboration among various ministries, states, and departments.
Acknowledging the pivotal role of port infrastructure in driving economic growth, the Modi government has undertaken ambitious endeavours to enhance and modernise India's ports.
Under the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan For Connectivity, the Indian Government has introduced a novel digital tool aimed at addressing the challenges of project delays
Over the past years, the government has successfully launched 15 Vande Bharat trains, with plans to manufacture an additional 400 Vande Bharat express trains in the next three years
In a significant move, the government demonstrated its boldness in the budget by raising the capital investment outlay to Rs 7.5 lakh crores.
Agnipath– Major Transformative Reform
The AGNIPATH Scheme
The AGNIPATH scheme for recruitment of youth in the Armed Forces was launched in June, allowing patriotic youth (Agniveers) to don the sacred uniform and serve the country for a period of four years.
The scheme has been designed to enable a youthful profile of the Armed Forces and bring about a transformational shift towards a more tech-savvy military.
The recruitment entails an attractive monthly package with Risk & Hardship allowances as applicable in the three Services and a one-time ‘Seva Nidhi’ package to be paid to Agniveers upon completion of their engagement period.
The response from patriotic youth towards the scheme has been encouraging. Over 54 lakh registrations, including by female aspirants, were received by the three Services for recruitment into the Armed Forces (Indian Army – 37.09 lakh; Indian Navy – 9.55 lakh and Indian Air Force – 7.69 lakh). Training centres are geared up to commence training shortly with improved training infrastructure.
Preparation and promulgation of Basic Military Training Policy governing training of Agniveers hasbeen revised and implemented for smooth commencement of the training. Requirement of Training Infrastructure for Regimental Centres encompassing Simulators. IT Infrastructure, Training Aggregates, Physical Training/Sports Infrastructure and Works has been worked out and promulgated to cater for the reduced duration of training.
INS Vikrant – Red letter day for ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’
INS Vikrant
India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant was commissioned by the Prime Minister at Cochin Shipyard Limited in September.The commissioning showcased the country’s growing prowess of indigenous manufacturing and a major milestone in the path towards ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’.
With 76% indigenous content, the 262.5 m long and 61.6 m wide ship is equipped with state-of-the-art equipment/systems, designed for a crew of around 1,600 officers and sailors.
The carrier is designed with a very high degree of automation for machinery operations, ship navigation and survivability. It is capable of operating air wing consisting of 30 aircraft comprising of MiG-29K fighter jets, Kamov-31, MH-60R multi-role helicopters, in addition to indigenously manufactured Advanced Light Helicopters and Light Combat Aircraft Navy. Using a novel aircraft-operation mode known as Short Take Off But Arrested Recovery, INS Vikrant is equipped with a ski-jump for launching aircraft and a set of ‘arrester wires’ for their recovery onboard
Major successful missile tests
Brahmos Extended Range Version
In May, India successfully fired the Extended Range Version of BrahMos Air Launched missile from Su-30 MKI fighter aircraft. The launch from the aircraft was as planned and the missile achieved a direct hit on the designated target in the Bay of Bengal region.
Prithvi-II
A successful training launch of a Short-Range Ballistic Missile, Prithvi-II was carried out in June from the Integrated Test Range, Chandipur, Odisha. The missile is a proven system and is capable of striking targets with a very high degree of precision.
Agni
India carried out a successful training launch of Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile, Agni-3 from APJ Abdul Kalam Island, Odisha in November. It was part of routine user training launches carried out under the aegis of the Strategic Forces Command. The launch was carried out for a predetermined range and validated all operational parameters of the system. Earlier, in June, a successful training launch Agni-4 was carried out. It, too, validated all operational parameters as also the reliability of the system. The successful test reaffirms India’s policy of having a ‘Credible Minimum Deterrence’ Capability.
Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile
INS Arihant carried out a successful launch of a Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile in October. The missile was tested to a predetermined range and impacted the target area in the Bay of Bengal with very high accuracy. All operational and technological parameters of the weapon system have been validated.
Helina
In April, indigenously-developed helicopter launched Anti-Tank Guided Missile ‘HELINA’ was successfully flight tested twice at different high-altitude ranges as part of user validation trials. The flight-testswere jointly conducted by DRDO, Indian Army and Indian Air Force.The flight trials were conducted from an Advanced Light Helicopter and the missile was fired successfully engaging simulated tank target.
