
In the beginning of his speech, Singh said he bowed to the brave land of Pune, the land of Chhatrapati Shivaji and freedom fighters like Bal Gangadhar Tilak.
He said for maintaining peace, strength is essential.
The emergence of non-state actors in many countries and their resorting to terrorism is also a matter of concern, Singh said.
In his address, he also said that self-reliance is necessary to achieve strategic autonomy.
The defence minister emphasised on the need of a robust security system, strong military and secure borders to realise Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of Viksit Bharat by 2047. He asserted that the Ministry of Defence is constantly striving to bolster the strength of the armed forces by equipping them with latest weapons and platforms, and the focus is on modernisation through self-reliance.