"We want to make India completely Aatmanirbhar in matters of Defence": Rajnath Singh

New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh emphasised the central government's efforts to make India completely Aatmanirbhar in matters of Defence on Tuesday as the NDA government completed its first 100 days in office.
Speaking to ANI, Singh said that the roadmap to be followed in the first 100 days was prepared beforehand, adding that the government made several important decisions during that time.
"We are completing the first 100 days of the third term of our government. It is also PM Modi's birthday today when we are completing the 100 days. I consider this a happy coincidence. As far as our government is concerned, I can say that even before this government was formed, we were confident that the third term government would be that of the NDA under the leadership of PM Modi. At that time, PM Modi had said in the cabinet meeting that after the formation of the new government, all ministries should make a plan for the work to be done in the first 100 days. The plans were made beforehand," Singh said.
"After the cabinet formation, all concerned cabinet decisions were made immediately and we started giving it the final form. I can say that our government made several important decisions that are remarkable. We want to make India completely Aatmanirbhar in matters of defence. We had included over 501 items in the positive indigenisation list," he added.
Singh criticised the opposition parties and accused them of "wasting the country's time and resources."
"Whatever it is that the opposition has to say, it can continue to say it. But we want to keep working. We have the passion to make India, a Viksit Bharat. We will attain that goal. If I explain the first 100 days of NDA government in cricket terminology, while our government quickly scored from the first over itself and has been increasing the runs of the country, on the other hand, the opposition of the country is wasting the country's time and resources in throwing no ball and wide ball," the Defence Minister said.
On Congress MP and Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi's criticism of the central government while in the US, Singh said, "Let him say. I think there is no credibility in what he says. He goes to other countries and tries to bring disrepute to the country's image. I consider this an irony."
Earlier on Monday, PM Modi outlined that he had left no stone unturned to fulfil the agenda of the first 100 days in office in his third term and said the decisions taken by the government were aimed at improving the lives of people.
"During the Lok Sabha elections, I guaranteed the countrymen that unprecedented decisions would be taken in the first 100 days of my third term. In the last 100 days, I spared no effort to fulfil the agenda of 100 days. I left no stone unturned in India and abroad. You people have sent me to Delhi by making me take a pledge to put the nation first. I did not see day and night, put all efforts into completing the 100-day agenda. Be it in the country or abroad, whatever efforts were to be made, they were made; no stone was left unturned," he said.