Defense Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday (October 16, 2025) said that 'Operation Sindoor' is the finest example of self-reliance in the Indian defense sector as most of the equipment used by the armed forces during the operation was indigenous.
Mr. Singh was speaking at the 6th Convocation of Symbiosis Skills & Professional University in Pune.
“We started working on becoming atmanirbhar (self-reliant) in the defense sector. This was difficult in the early stages because we were trying to transform the entire system. Since independence, we have been dependent on other countries for weapons. It had become a necessity for us to buy defense equipment from abroad and indigenous production was virtually non-existent,” he said.
India has now “broke the barrier” that existed since independence, the minister said.
“We have given a strong boost to the production of weapons in the country. This was not easy at all as the nation had fallen into a comfort zone in terms of defense 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 defense production, Mr Singh noted.
The country's youth also lacked the inspiration to help India become self-reliant in this sector, the Defense Minister noted.
“The situation was not conducive to us; in fact, it was unfavorable. But even under such conditions, we did not stop. We took all possible steps to promote defense production, and today those efforts are showing visible results,” he said.
“You must have seen the courage of our armed forces during Operation Sindoor. Operation Sindoor is the finest example of self-reliance in the Indian defense sector as most of the equipment used by the armed forces was indigenous,” he added.
India launched Operation Sindoor in May this year, in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack in April that left 26 people dead.
Published – Oct 16, 2025 2:09 PM IST
