New Delhi. The government is considering the leap that India has taken in defense production in the last 10 years not just as an achievement but as a strategic strength. In this series, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday presented such figures which show a new level of India’s military capability. He clearly said that the country, which was once completely dependent on imports for weapons, has today become an emerging defense exporter of the world by moving rapidly on the Make in India model.
Rajnath Singh said that while India’s defense production was only Rs 46,000 crore in 2014, today it has increased to a record level of Rs 1.51 lakh crore. India has also taken a historic leap on the export front. While 10 years ago the export was less than Rs 1000 crore, today it has reached around Rs 24000 crore. The government claims that this increase is not just a figure but the real identity of India’s self-reliant defense policy.
New India is being prepared on the border
Along with these figures, the Defense Minister also mentioned the major achievements of the Border Roads Organization i.e. BRO. Inaugurating 125 important infrastructure projects in Leh, he said that BRO has completed 28 roads, 93 bridges and many strategic works at a cost of Rs 5000 crore. Most of these projects are in sensitive areas like Ladakh, Jammu Kashmir, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, West Bengal and Mizoram.
Rajnath Singh said that BRO has shown tremendous improvement in technology and engineering as per the security needs of the country. The biggest example of this is the Class 70 modular bridge which has been developed entirely in the country by BRO in collaboration with Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers. These bridges are now being installed directly in the forward areas and show how rapidly India is increasing its capabilities on the border.
Record spending, record success
In the financial year 2024-25, BRO spent a record of Rs 16690 crore, which is the highest till date. The next target for 2025-26 has been set at Rs 18700 crore, which clearly shows that the government is showing more confidence in the capability of BRO than before. In the last two years alone, 356 projects have been dedicated to the nation, which is a huge figure by any standards.
The work of BRO is not easy. These projects are completed in snowfall areas, deserts, flood areas and dense forests. This is the reason why this time the government has increased the budget of BRO to Rs 7146 crore in the Union Budget 2025-26.
