India has today positioned itself on the global high-table, the Defence Minister said

India has emerged as a self-assured and self-reliant nation which believes in working together for the collective well-being, but rejects interference in its internal matters, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has said.

Speaking at an event in New Delhi on Friday, he credited the diplomacy, credibility and leadership qualities of Prime Minister Narendra Modi which have transformed India’s image on the international stage to an agenda-setter. “India has today positioned itself on global high-table. Our peace-loving nature & self-respect being recognised and respected by the world," Singh said.

Outlining defence preparedness, he said that due to the Government’s efforts to realise the vision of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’, India has joined the mainstream of manufacturing and is now producing indigenous aircraft carriers such as INS Vikrant.

The Government’s focus is on increasing the participation of the private sector for their as well as the nation’s growth while inviting foreign companies to ‘Make in India, Make for the World’, he added.

India's defence exports have now crossed Rs 14,000 crore, as compared to Rs 900 crore in 2014. “By 2023, defence exports will cross Rs 19,000 crore and we are well on course to achieve the target of Rs 25,000 crore worth of exports by 2025," he pointed out.

He also noted that India has become the fifth largest economy with a GDP of USD 3.5 trillion in the last 8.5 years.

“Before 2014, India was among the ‘Fragile Five’ nations, a word coined investment firm Morgan Stanley. Today, we have moved out of that category and joined the ‘Fabulous Five’ economies of the world," he remarked.

The Defence Minister also referred to a recently published article on the global economic outlook by Managing Director of Morgan Stanley Chetan Ahya, saying that India will be the third largest economy after the US and China by 2027. India's GDP will increase to USD 8.5 trillion in the next ten years. "This clearly shows that India has become a centre of hope and confidence for the world,” he said.

He also listed out a number of procedural and structural reforms undertaken by the Government in the last 8.5 years to strengthen the physical as well as digital infrastructure of the country. These include Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, Direct Benefit Transfer, National Infrastructure Pipeline and Goods & Services Tax (GST), Defence Minister Singh said.