Don’t terrorise us on tax: Rafale to Def Minister
PARIS: India should provide an attractive business environment and not "terrorise us" with its tax and customs rules, the CEO of the French engine manufacturer behind the Rafale fighter jet told Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday while announcing that the company plans to invest nearly USD 150 million in the country.
French multinational Safran, the manufacturer of the M88 state of the art engines fitted in the Rafale jets acquired by India, gave a presentation of its facility to the minister who took a tour of the assembly line of the company near the French capital.
industry around the merits of the 'Make in India' initiative, during which he will also extend a formal invitation for them to participate in the Defexpo to be held in Lucknow from February 5 to 8, 2020.
Singh had kick-started his busy schedule with a meeting at Elysee Palace with President Emmanuel Macron for talks described as "warm and productive", as both leaders resolved to take the IndiaFrance relationship to a higher level.
He was then flown for Merignac Airport in the nearby town of Bordeaux for a grand induction ceremony planned for the first of 36 Rafale combat jets, which are all scheduled to be delivered to India by around May 2022.
"This aircraft marks a massive enhancement in the Indian Air Force combat capability but that enhancement is not for attack purposes but as a deterrent for self defence. And, the credit for this milestone goes to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose decisiveness has made this crucial air enhancement possible today," the minister said after a 25-minute sortie in the aircraft.