In a bid to check the cleanliness and work atmosphere, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh  carried out a surprise inspection of the offices of his ministry at the South Block in the Raisina Hills area.

According to the officials, the Defence Minister went around various office blocks and interacted with the employees. After the inspection, Singh passed necessary instructions wherever the need for improvement was identified, they said.

He was accompanied by the Secretary, Department of Defence Production, Rajkumar and other officials of the ministry during the surprise inspection, the officials added.

Earlier in the day, the Defence Minister addressed the Ambassadors’ Round Table Conference in the national capital and stressed that the Modi government has taken several initiatives to modernise the armed forces and produce high-quality weapon systems.

Speaking at the conference, Singh stated that the years 2020 and 2021 have seen the discovery of new horizons in the Aerospace and Defence manufacturing sectors including space and cyberspace

“The world churning in the year 2020 and 2021 has seen the discovery of new horizons in the Aerospace and Defence manufacturing sectors including space, cyberspace, futuristic capabilities and disruptive technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Block-chain, Augmented etc,” he said. 

“The Indian Aerospace and Defence manufacturing sector today is ready to soar to newer heights,” he added.

The Defence Minister also talked about the growth of India’s exports in the last 5 years. Singh informed that the defence exports have grown by 334 per cent in the last 5 years and now India is exporting to more than 75 countries, 

“The Indian Government is committed to supporting the growth of defence modernisation and capabilities and we have increased the defence capital outlay in the annual budget of 2021-22 by 18.75 per cent from the preceding year. This is the highest ever increment in the last 15 years,” he said.