NE NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, AUG 16
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh handed over multiple indigenous weapons to the Indian Army, said the officials on Tuesday. Defence Minister handed over the F-INSAS system to the Indian Army in presence of Army Chief Gen Manoj Pande and Lt Gen Harpal Singh.
Indian Army’s Futuristic Infantry Soldier as a System (F-INSAS) soldier gave a briefing to Defence Minister on his new weapon systems and aids including the AK-203 assault rifle.
- Future Infantry Soldier, new generation anti-personnel mine, upgraded sights system for tanks, high mobility Infantry Protected Vehicles & Assault Boats among the state-of-the-art equipment
- The systems will enhance operational preparedness of the Army: Shri Rajnath Singh
- Calls for infrastructure development based on latest technology to help the Armed Forces deal with future challenges
Anti-personnel mine ‘Nipun’ was also handed over to the Indian Army, by Defence Minister Singh. Around 7 lakh of these mines would be provided to the force manufactured by the Indian private sector industry.
Handed over indigenously-developed equipment & systems to the Indian Army. These systems will enhance the operational preparedness of the Army and help them to deal with future challenges.
It is a shining example of India’s growing self-reliance prowess.https://t.co/bmr4ggianT pic.twitter.com/X86d2uppcI
— Rajnath Singh (मोदी का परिवार) (@rajnathsingh) August 16, 2022
The indigenously manufactured weapons that were given part to the Army included Landing Craft Attack for operations in Pangong lake, infantry combat vehicles and many other systems.
The move comes in wake of the Make in India movement that was launched by the Centre to grow indigenous manufacturing of goods.
On the occasion, the defence minister also unveiled Scales of Accommodation (SoA) 2022, which provides authorisation for construction facilities for operational, functional, training, administrative, living and recreation for the Defence Services. The SoA 2022 is in line with the Government policies and vision like Swachh Bharat, Sugamya Bharat, Digital India, Green Buildings, Sustainable Development, Renewable Energy, Reduction of Carbon Footprint Promotion of Yoga & Fit India etc. Rajnath Singh asserted that with the implementation of SoA 2022, there would be tremendous improvement in facilities/infrastructure and specifications commensurate to contemporary requirements and will further improve the working and living conditions for the defence personnel including civilians. He described SoA 2022 as a testament to the hard work and dedication of MES.
Rajnath Singh also launched a series of e-Governance applications to foster transparency, build efficiency and unlock the latent productivity of Military Engineer Services (MES). These include those on budget management, product approval, contracts, scrutiny of works and their status and an electronic cash book. “ERP software is playing an important role in the development of various industries and increasing the efficiency of institutions. The portals and applications launched today will increase the work efficiency of MES and save time. It is a crucial effort towards effective e-governance,” he said.
Rajnath Singh lauded MES as an important and responsible organisation of Ministry of Defence, which meets the infrastructural needs of the Armed Forces. He termed MES as behind the scenes characters who help provide a strong backup to the frontline warriors.
Earlier for the first time in the history of India, the indigenously developed artillery gun ATAGS (Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System) prototype developed under the government’s Make in India initiative were fired from the Red Fort during the Independence Day celebrations on August 15.
The completely indigenous gun designed and developed by DRDO will give the ceremonial 21 Gun Salute along with the “25 Pounder British guns” which are traditionally fired till now. A team of DRDO’s Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE), Pune led by Scientists and Artillery Officers have been responsible for making this possible.
Sangam Sinha, DG (R&M), DRDO said, “On the occasion of the elixir of freedom, folding cannon is a great gift for India. This is the longest-range cannon in the world and is capable of hitting targets from 45 to 48 km.” “The biggest thing is that for the first time it is Made in India by Bharat Forge. It is an indigenous artillery gun being used for the 21-gun salute on Independence Day. The ATAGS is developed by DRDO and is currently at the Red Fort. This will be a big support to the Indian Army,” he added.
The ATAGS project was started in 2013 by DRDO to replace older guns in service in the Indian Army with a modern 155mm artillery gun. ARDE partnered with two private firms Bharat Forge Limited and Tata Advanced Systems Limited for the manufacturing of this specialised gun.
MoS for Defence Ajay Bhatt, Chief of the Army Staff General Manoj Pande, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral R Hari Kumar, Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari, Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to the Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee Air Marshal BR Krishna, Secretary Department of Defence R&D, Chairman DRDO Dr G Satheesh Reddy, Engineer-in-Chief Lt Gen Harpal Singh and other senior civil and military officials of Ministry of Defence were present on the occasion.
