Manohar Parrikar takes over as the new Defence Minister

Manohar Gopalkrishna Prabhu Parrikar, who took charge as the new Defence Minister said, he would maintain the fast pace of acquisition set in motion by the government for the defence forces while ensuring transparency at every stage.

Taking over as the 36th Defence Minister of the country, Parrikar said, his predecessor Arun Jaitley has initiated work on many issues relating to defence despite several constraints and that he is confident of taking these steps forward with speed. Parrikar expressed his thanks to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi for reposing confidence in him and entrusting him with this important and sensitive ministry.

Referring to the ‘Make in India’ drive of the government, Parrikar said, the measure will not only lead to self-reliance in defence manufacturing but also generate employment and would ultimately contribute to economic development.

Parrikar expressed his anguish at the sinking of a naval vessel off the Coast of Visakhapatnam and the earlier incident of an explosion in a submarine.

Parrikar was born in Mapusa, Goa, on December 13, 1955. He studied at Loyola High School, Margao and completed his secondary education in Marathi. He graduated from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bombay, in 1978 in Metallurgical Engineering. He was awarded by the institute with Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2001.

Before being inducted into the Union Council of Ministers on November 9, 2014, he was the Chief Minister of Goa, first from 2000 to 2005 and later from March 2012 to November 2014. Manohar Parrikar is the first IIT graduate to become a Chief Minister of any Indian state.

Manohar Parrikar is credited with singlehandedly bringing the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) to Goa and creating more international quality infrastructure for the event in a short time than any other previous government. He was instrumental in initiating various social upliftment schemes like Dayanand Samajik Suraksha Yojana, which provides financial assistance to senior citizens, the Cyberage Scheme which provides computers to students, Chief Minister Rojgar Yojana, etc.

Known to be a man of action and principles, Parrikar is known as ‘Mr. Clean’ in Goa.