Adopt zero tolerance towards terrorism, advocates Rajnath

Hyderabad: Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh advocated zero tolerance towards terrorism.

Speaking at the Golden Jubilee Celebrations of Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) at Kanchanbagh in Hyderabad on Saturday he said, "Terrorism is neither good nor bad, all it brings is terror and there should be no excuse, but zero tolerance.

India has been successful in making the world understand that terrorism is terrorism for everyone."

Rajnath Singh appreciated the role played by BDL in the country's defence production capabilities and assured full support from the government.

He said defence systems in India are not programmed to attack other nations but are meant for maintaining peace and stability at the regional and global level.

"But in case of chaos, we are prepared to fight. Our neighbour Pakistan's missiles are named as Babur, Ghauri and Ghaznavi which postures aggressiveness, but Indian nuclear weapons such as Prithvi, Akash, Agni, BrahMos, and Trishul are not named after power or aggression but to signify stability, sustenance and peace.

He also said the defence sector would play a key role in making the country a $5 trillion economy through Foreign Direct Investment and offset investment in manufacturing.

A statue of Bharat Ratna Dr A P J Abdul Kalam was unveiled and also a commemorative stamp on BDL was released by the Minister as part of the Golden Jubilee celebrations of the company.

The Medium Range Surface-to-Air-Missile (MR SAM) was handed over to the Indian Air Force. The Vice Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal, RKS Bhadauria received the MR SAM on the behalf of the Indian Air Force.

Commodore Siddharth Mishra (Retired), Chairman and Managing Director of Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL), Hyderabad, said, the intention of this unit was to create a base for producing missile and related equipment.

This company was started with few lakh rupees as an enterprise to create a missile has done a business of Rs 5000 crore during the 2016-17.

Now, BDL with the help of missile technology from the foreign countries produced finest anti-tank guided missiles and supplied to the armed forced.