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India ready to supply defence equipments to other IOR countries: Rajnath Singh
A total of 22 countries including Indonesia, Bangladesh, Australia, South Africa, Yemen, the United Arab Emirates Somalia, Madagascar and Tanzania are a part of the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).
Union defence minister Rajnath Singh said on Thursday that India had to play an active role to ensure a peaceful and prosperous co-existence of all other countries in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) since it was the largest country and had a vast coastline in the region. A total of 22 countries including Indonesia, Bangladesh, Australia, South Africa, Yemen, the United Arab Emirates Somalia, Madagascar and Tanzania are a part of the IOR.
Speaking at the IOR defence ministers’ conclave, Singh said that the convention should focus on security, commerce, connectivity, fight against terrorism and inter-cultural exchanges among participating countries.
He said that India’s defence and aerospace industry presented a significant and attractive opportunity for international companies across the supply chain to take their cooperation to newer levels. The Centre was also ready to provide various kinds of defence equipment such as missile systems, radars, tanks etc to other foreign countries, he added.
“India is ready to supply various types of Missile systems, LCA/Helicopters, Multi-Purpose Light Transport aircraft, Warship & Patrol Vessels, Artillery Gun systems, Tanks, Radars, Military Vehicles, Electronic Warfare Systems & other weapons systems to IOR countries,” the defence minister had said.
The IOR conclave is an initiative to promote dialogue to foster the development of peace, stability and prosperity in the Indian Ocean region. This time the theme of the convention was ‘Enhanced Peace, Security and Cooperation in the Indian Ocean’, according to a release issued by the Union defence ministry. Singh had said on Wednesday that India could take on the role of being the net security provider in the IOR.
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Under this year’s Union budget, the funds allocated towards defence had been increased to ₹4.78 lakh crore of which ₹1.35 lakh crore had been set aside for capital outlay to buy new weapons, aircraft, warships and other military hardware, Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman had said on Monday.
While hailing the budget for the country’s defence sector, Rajnath Singh pointed out that there was nearly a 19 per cent increase in the capital expenditure, and the highest ever increase in the capital outlay for defence in more than a decade.
