Write about the India’s defence affairs policy –(a) Kargil War(b) Make in India(c) Job Opportunities

Answer:

(a) Kargil War:

• In 1999 Pakistani soldiers and infiltrators secretly occupied the heights in the Kargil, Drass and Batalik sectors of Jammu and Kashmir.
• India launched ‘Operation Vijay’; the Indian Army, supported by the Air Force, recaptured the posts including Tiger Hill by July 1999.
• 26 July is observed as Kargil Vijay Diwas. After the war a review committee recommended stronger intelligence and border management.

(b) Make in India:

• The ‘Make in India’ programme was launched in 2014 to make India a manufacturing hub.
• In defence it aims to reduce dependence on imports by producing weapons and equipment in India; the limit for foreign investment in defence was raised and private companies were allowed to participate.
• Examples: the Tejas light combat aircraft, Arjun tank, BrahMos missile and the indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant.

(c) Job Opportunities:

• Young people can join the Army, Navy and Air Force as officers through the NDA and CDS examinations and in other ranks through recruitment drives.
• There are jobs in paramilitary forces, the DRDO, ordnance factories and defence public sector units such as HAL and BEL.
• The growth of private defence industries under Make in India has created more jobs for engineers, technicians and workers.