Rahul Gandhi gets trolled on social media after India reports record defence exports (WATCH)
Old videos of Rahul Gandhi questioning the effectiveness of Make in India have resurfaced on social media after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh announced a record growth in India's defence exports for FY 2023-24.
FollowOld videos of former Congress party president Rahul Gandhi have been doing the rounds on social media hours after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh informed that India's defence exports touched a record Rs 21,083 crore in the 2023-24 financial year (FY). The amount points to a growth of 32.5 per cent when compared to the last financial year's figure of Rs 15,920 crore.
The video in question features Rahul's video from Parliament where he is heard declaring that Make in India is not at all possible in this country. The video also shows the Wayanad MP asking a school event where he is heard asking students, 'Do you think Make in India is working?'
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced a significant surge in defence exports over the past decade, with a 31-fold increase compared to FY14. Both the private sector and Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs) contributed significantly to this achievement, with 60% and 40% of defence exports respectively. The number of export authorisations issued to defence exporters saw a notable rise from 1,414 in FY23 to 1,507 in FY24.
Comparing data from two decades, MoD highlighted a 21-fold growth in defence exports from 2004-05 to 2013-14 to 2014-15 to 2023-24. This remarkable growth is attributed to policy reforms, Ease of Doing Business initiatives, and digital solutions provided to domestic industries. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh commended all stakeholders for this milestone through a post on X.
Meanwhile, despite India's push for self-reliance in defence manufacturing, it remained the world's largest arms importer in 2019-23, accounting for 9.8% of global arms imports. This trend was driven by tensions with Pakistan and China. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), India's arms imports increased by 4.7% from 2014-18 to 2019-23. While Russia remained the main supplier of arms, its share in Indian arms imports decreased from 76% in 2009-13 to 36% in 2019-23.
