Under PM Modi India has joined "club of elite" nations: Lekhi

Jammu, May 26: As Prime Minister Narendra Modi completes one year in the office today, the BJP today said the country has made "enormous progress" in the defence and space sectors brining it at par with some of the elite nations.

"Our defence sector has improved, our space sector has improved, the successful launch of Chandrayaan and launch of PSLV C23 has put India into the elite club of country," BJP MP and spokesperson Meenakshi Lekhi told reporters here today.

While crediting Narendra Modi government for the successful test firing of AGNI-III ballistic missile, Indian Navy's first Scorpene submarine, first 'made-in-India' nuclear-powered submarine INS Arihant and the first of P15-B stealth destroyers INS Visakhapatnam, she said these were some of the quick completion initiatives undertaken from long pending projects. [Modi writes an open letter to the citizens, urges them to work together for a better India]

"The purchase of 36 fly-away Rafales from France adds might to the air force...At heart Modi's "Make in India" campaign is the thrust on indigenous defence production capabilities" she said.

She also said while presently over 60 percent of the defence requirements were met by imports, "This will change and the government aims to transform the country into a manufacturing powerhouse and advocates boosting of exports, and incentivise import substitution" she said.

Speaking about the foreign policy decisions which were taken in the past year, Lekhi said under the BJP government the Civil Nuclear Deal was settled with America while Australia and Canada agreed to supply uranium for India's nuclear energy needs and the country led the BRICS bank initiative among others.

She also said India's image was enhanced after conducting successful operations in Nepal, following the earthquake, and Yemen.

PTI