Colombo [Sri Lanka], September 9 (ANI): Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who is on a three-day visit to Sri Lanka, held a meeting with Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake in Colombo.
Sharing details of the engagement in a post on X, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh wrote, “Today, in Colombo, I held a highly productive meeting with His Excellency Anura Kumara Dissanayake, President of Sri Lanka. I shared with him the greetings of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and extended our congratulations on the completion of two years of his government. As civilized twins, close neighbors, and maritime partners, India and Sri Lanka have reaffirmed our commitment to continue working together for the development of our countries and the well-being of our people. Likewise, we have reaffirmed our resolve to work together for the security, safety, peace, and prosperity of our region.”
https://x.com/rajnathsingh/status/2097567796733616555
Continuing his engagements on Tuesday, Singh addressed the Indian community in Sri Lanka. During his address, he spotlighted India’s remarkable international economic transformation, noting that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership over the past decade, the country has successfully concluded free trade agreements with 38 nations.
Contrasting India’s current global trade footprint with the pre-2014 era, he pointed out that the UPA government had signed comprehensive trade agreements with only four countries.
Underlining the economic impact of this trade push, the Defence Minister pointed to the historic Free Trade Agreement signed between India and the European Union, characterising it as the “mother of all deals” in the international arena, which opens the way to the large EU market of about 27 trillion dollars. He added that this agreement stands as proof of Prime Minister Modi’s leadership quality alongside India’s diplomatic and economic capability, while also noting that India’s free trade agreement with the United Kingdom has been implemented.
Detailing the country’s broader development, Rajnath Singh stated that India ranks among the fastest-growing major economies globally, contributing more than 16% to global growth. He detailed that India’s economy doubled from USD 2 trillion in 2014 to approximately USD 4 trillion over the past decade, growing at 7.8% in the first quarter of Financial Year 2026-27 amid global economic challenges, while average inflation remained at approximately 4.7% over the last 12 years compared to 10-11% previously.
Detailing sectoral manufacturing and export expansions, the Defence Minister noted that the value of goods and services exports increased from Rs 45 lakh crore in 2014 to Rs 79 lakh crore in FY 2025-26. Electronic goods production surged from Rs 1.9 lakh crore to over Rs 11 lakh crore with exports rising by 700% to more than Rs 3 lakh crore, while India emerged as the world’s second-largest mobile phone manufacturer with units increasing from two to over 300, mobile manufacturing growing to Rs 5.5 lakh crore, and exports rising nearly 163 times to Rs 2.6 lakh crore alongside automobile exports reaching Rs 1.20 lakh crore annually.
Turning to the transformation of the defence sector, Raksha Mantri asserted that India’s defence exports have reached an all-time high of approximately Rs 39,000 crore compared to just Rs 600 crore 12 years ago, alongside a defence budget rise from roughly Rs 2 lakh crore in FY 2013-14 to Rs 7.25 lakh crore in FY 2025-26, reflecting the country’s journey towards an Aatmanirbhar sector. He also noted that India holds the world’s third-largest start-up ecosystem with a rapidly increasing number of unicorns.
Furthermore, Rajnath Singh pointed to major structural reforms, including the introduction of GST establishing the ‘One Nation, One Tax’ regime, and welfare measures that have lifted approximately 25 crore Indians out of poverty while expanding social security coverage to around 95 crore citizens. He underlined the rapid development of digital public infrastructure, broadband connectivity, UPI, and transport networks like electrified railways, alongside the JAM network and Direct Benefit Transfer mechanism through which Rs 51 lakh crore has been directly credited to citizens’ bank accounts.
Cabinet Minister in the Sri Lankan Government Saroja Savithri Paulraj, Governor of the Western Province Hanif Yusoof, Deputy Minister Sundaralingam Pradeep, High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka Santosh Jha, senior Indian civil and military officials, and members of the Indian community attended the event. (ANI)
Related reading
