New Delhi: Union Minister Rajnath Singh who took charge as Defence Minister on Thursday said the priority of Prime Minister Narendra Modi government will be to develop a strong, 'Aatmanirbhar' government with robust and self-reliant defence manufacturing.

Singh who took charge as the Defence Minister at his office in South Block in the national capital said that the government will strive to boost exports in the defence sector and aims for a target of ₹50,000 crore over the next five years.

"PM Modi has given me the responsibility of the Defence Ministry again. Our priorities will be the same, the protection of the country. We want to develop a strong and 'Aatmanirbhar' Bharat. We want to become self-reliant on defence manufacturing. We have exported defence equipment worth over ₹21,000 crore. Our target is to take this figure to ₹50,000 crore in the next five. We are proud of our three armed forces, Indian Army, Indian Navy and Indian Air Force," Singh said.

A Member of Parliament from Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, Rajnath Singh, had taken up the responsibility to head the Ministry of Defence for the first time on June 1, 2019.

Born on July 10, 1951, in the Chandauli district of Uttar Pradesh, Singh pursued a Masters in Physics from the University of Gorakhpur and was a teacher by profession.

He served as a member of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly in 1977-1980 and 2001-2003. He was Minister of Education in the government of Uttar Pradesh from 1991 to 1992, while also serving as Minister of Surface Transport in the Union Cabinet from 1999 to 2000.

Later, he was Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh in 2000-2002. In 2003, he served as Minister of Agriculture in the Union Cabinet. He was elected to the Rajya Sabha for two terms in 1994-1999 and again in 2003-2008.

In 2009, he was elected to the 15th Lok Sabha. He also served as a member of the Committee on Ethics on October 7, 2009.

Rajnath Singh was inducted in the Union Cabinet in the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 27, 2014, as the Minister of Home Affairs. He is married to Savitri Singh and they have two sons.

Sanjay Seth, a Member of Parliament from Ranchi, Jharkhand, has been given the portfolio of Minister of State in the Ministry of Defence.

Sanjay Seth became an MP from Ranchi for the first time in 2019, and he was a member of the Standing Committee on Information Technology. In 2024 also, he was elected to the Lok Sabha from Ranchi.

(With Agency Inputs)