‘Attacks not increased after Assembly elections’
*J&K will develop fast
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Nov 2: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh today said number of the terror attacks taking place in the Kashmir valley have come down as compared to past but said there is no security lapse and security forces are giving befitting reply to the terrorists.
“Recent terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir are unfortunate but there is no security lapse. Security forces are giving befitting reply to the terrorists. Number of terror attacks have come down as compared to the past,” Rajnath said in a brief chat with media persons after a function at IIT Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh today.
Asserting that security forces are maintaining high alert, the Defence Minister said a time will come when terrorism will be fully wiped out from Jammu and Kashmir and the Union Territory will develop fast.
“The attacks that happened were unfortunate. Our security forces are retaliating very effectively to the terror attacks which was the reason that a large number of terrorists have been killed in Jammu and Kashmir,” Rajnath said.
In response to a question, the Defence Minister asserted: “It can’t be said that the terror activities have increased after the Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir. The fact is that three to four attacks have been reported but at the same time many terrorists have been killed”.
Only today, National Conference president and former Chief Minister Dr Farooq Abdullah smelled conspiracy behind surge in terror attacks to bring bad name to Omar Government.
Earlier, addressing 65th Foundation Day celebrations at IIT Kanpur, Rajnath called upon the youth to indigenously develop high-end technologies which the country imports to realise Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of `Viksit Bharat’.
Rajnath described ‘technology’ as the biggest factor behind the rapid changes taking place in every field today, with countries competing to master niche tech, such as Artificial Intelligence, to establish an edge in the current geopolitical scenario. He pointed out that based on technological developments, there are three groups of countries – the first areat the pinnacle in advanced tech; the second have reached a stagnant state and third areat a stage of technological take-off.
Placing India in the third group, Rajnath stated that the nation is today surging towards the top position in technological advancements. He stressed on the need to get a hold on high-end technology, urging the young ignited minds to realise their potential and contribute to the country’s progress. He termed institutions like IIT Kanpur as academic engines, which can provide a dynamism to India in the present competitive environment, and place it among the first set of countries.
Highlighting the increasing role of technology in the defence ecosystem across the globe amidst ongoing conflicts, he said that the use of drones, laser warfare, cyber warfare, precision guided missiles and hypersonic missiles has transformed warfare into a technology-oriented one.
“The biggest hurdle in achieving ‘Aatmanirbharta’ in defence is that we are compelled to import some high-end technologies necessary for our items. There is a need to focus on defence application of modern cutting-edge technologies in view of the changing nature of warfare,” he added.
Rajnath assured the Government’s full support in this endeavour and reiterated the commitment to take all stakeholders, including the private sector and academia, together to make India self-reliant in defence. “India has dreamed of becoming a developed nation by 2047 on the strength of our youth. We must put in all our power to realise that dream. There is a proverb, ‘If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together’. We need to walk together to achieve our target,” he said.
Enumerating the steps taken by the Government to promote self-reliance and innovation in defence, he spoke about the Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) initiative which provides a grant of Rs 1.5 crore to innovators and start-ups. He added that Acing Development of Innovative Technologies with iDEX (ADITI) scheme was launched to promote innovations in critical and strategic defence technologies, wherein start-ups are eligible to receive grant-in-aid of up to Rs 25 crore for their research, development, and innovation endeavours in defence technology.
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