NDTV Defence Summit: Indian Forces Equipped To Respond To Any Situation, Says Rajnath Singh

India's position in the Indo-Pacific region has strengthened and the country's armed forces are equipped to retaliate against any disturbance, according to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

"India has never been an aggressor, but we are ready for handling any disturbance," Singh said while talking to NDTV's Sanjay Pugalia. The minister has instructed armed forces to be prepared for war during peacetime, underscoring the nation's commitment towards proactive defence and swift response to potential threats, he said.

"Faith of the people of India in Prime Minister Narendra Modi has increased with time," Singh said at the NDTV Defence Summit.

The government is making provisions to fund innovative defence production in line with the Atmanirbhar Bharat goals and make up for alleged neglect in the last three decades, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said.

"Funding for science and technological research was scattered earlier," she told NDTV Profit's Sanjay Pugalia in an exclusive interview—her first for a private news network after the interim budget.

The minister said the current allocations for defence would seem less as it is making up for the 30 years of alleged neglect before the Modi government took over in 2014.