Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar has said that the ‘Make in India’ vision was a priority for defence procurement but “operational readiness” was the military’s primary task as “we don’t want people to look at us with big eyes.”
“We need adequate equipment and that cannot change. Make in India is in its place, our military preparedness is paramount,” he said speaking at a panel discussion on Make in India initiative in the defence sector on the opening day of the three-day technical festival ‘Cognizance 2016’ of IIT Roorkee on Friday
PTI News quoted him as saying, “I would like to make it clear…Make in India is our priority for defence procurement…but the first priority cannot be forgotten, the primary task of our military, which is operational readiness…in view of our neighbours…so that no one can look at us with big eyes.”
There have been calls for stepping up the country’s defence preparedness after the terror attack on the Pathankot Air base and in Gudsaspur
Opposition Congress had in Parliament recently criticised the government for its handling of the Pathankot incident in which seven security personnel were killed.