Rajnath Singh Lists India’s Growth Figures in Dushanbe

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh addressed the Indian diaspora in Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan, on 20 October 2026, and used the occasion to set out a long list of numbers on the Indian economy, defence manufacturing and digital payments. He placed the whole account within the idea of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, saying India wants to pair prosperity, knowledge and strength with a commitment to peace in the world.

Growth, trade and the external account

He said India now accounts for more than 16 per cent of global economic growth and is expanding at roughly 7.8 per cent at a time when several large economies have slowed. On trade, he said India has signed free trade agreements with 38 countries, and that the agreements with the United Kingdom and the European Union are expected to remove tariffs on 99 per cent of Indian goods sold in those markets. He said the current account deficit, which was above four per cent of GDP some twelve to thirteen years ago, came down to 0.61 per cent in the last financial year, that foreign exchange reserves have gone past US$700 billion, and that the banking system is at its strongest. Governance, he said, had moved from a phase he called policy paralysis to what he described as a reform express, because reforms are a conviction rather than a compulsion.

Defence, start-ups and energy

The defence numbers were the sharpest of the speech. Defence exports have touched a record Rs 38,424 crore and defence production has climbed to Rs 1.80 lakh crore. He said the country now has more than 2.5 lakh start-ups against a few hundred before 2014, that close to half of them come from smaller cities and towns, and that over 45 per cent have at least one woman as a director or partner. Renewable energy capacity, he said, has risen from about 75 GW in 2014 to nearly 300 GW, while the Semicon India programme and the India Semiconductor Mission are taking the country towards making both ships and chips.

Welfare, payments and space

He said roughly 25 crore people have come out of poverty in the past decade, crediting the JAM Trinity and Direct Benefit Transfer for sending assistance straight into bank accounts. The value of UPI transactions, he said, has grown from Rs 7,000 crore in 2016-17 to Rs 314 lakh crore in 2025-26. He also pointed to Chandrayaan and Aditya-L1 and expressed confidence about preparations for the Gaganyaan human spaceflight mission.

The figures at a glance

An Indologist honoured

At the same event the minister felicitated Prof Habibullo Rajabov, an Indologist described as the first Padma Shri awardee from Tajikistan, for his work in Hindi literature and education. Artists from both countries performed, and the minister said Indian songs, music, literature and cinema keep the two peoples close.