Union Minister Shri Anurag Thakur today said that the government is resolute in increasing its own defensive capabilities. India has a defense production worth one lakh crore rupees today and a defense export of sixteen thousand crore rupees. He further added that this export value will increase to forty thousand crore rupees in next two years.

The Minister however added that war is destructive for any country and no country knows this better than India that has been pushed into war four times. Speaking at a book launch event in New Delhi today the Minister reiterated Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi's statement that this was not a time for war but for discussions and deliberations.

The Minister further remarked that Israel as a nation has survived under difficult circumstances and yet become a shining example of resilience and a country that is a leader in innovation. Having recovered from the horrors of the holocaust after the second world war, today Israel is a country that stands on its own.

**********

Saurabh Singh