Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Wednesday, 17 June 2026, credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership with making India 'stronger, safer, and more self-reliant' in defence, marking what the BJP is calling 12 years of a secured India under the hashtag #12YearsOfSurakshitBharat. Khandu, whose state shares a 1,080-km border with China, underscored gains in armed forces modernisation, indigenous defence production, and border security.

Context

In his post, Khandu wrote that under Modi's 'visionary leadership', India has emerged stronger and more self-reliant, pointing specifically to the modernisation of the armed forces, a boost to indigenous defence production, and the securing of borders. 'New India stands firm with strength, resolve, and national pride,' he stated. The message was accompanied by a video and coincides with the BJP's nationwide campaign marking 12 years of the Modi government's focus on national security.

Khandu's voice carries particular weight on defence matters: Arunachal Pradesh is the most sensitive border state in the country's northeast, sharing its entire northern frontier with China along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). The state has been a focal point for both forward military deployment and accelerated border infrastructure development since 2014.

Policy Backdrop

The Make in India defence manufacturing push, announced in 2014, opened the sector to private participation and raised foreign direct investment caps, laying the groundwork for the indigenisation drive Khandu references. A landmark structural reform followed in December 2019 with the creation of the Chief of Defence Staff post and the Department of Military Affairs, designed to drive integration across the three services and accelerate technology absorption.

From August 2020, the government notified successive negative import lists for defence items, reserving procurement categories exclusively for domestic industry. These steps sit within the broader Atmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India) framework launched in 2020, which set explicit targets for indigenous defence content — with a stated goal of 70 per cent domestic content in procurement by 2027. Simultaneously, road, bridge, and tunnel construction along the LAC has been accelerated under the India-China Border Roads programme, directly benefiting Arunachal Pradesh.

Stakeholders and Impact

The primary beneficiaries of this policy arc are India's armed forces, which have been undergoing structural reforms, equipment upgrades, and a gradual shift toward theatre commands aimed at greater jointness. Domestic defence manufacturers — both public sector undertakings and a growing private sector ecosystem — stand to gain from the import substitution push.

For border states like Arunachal Pradesh, the impact is tangible: improved road connectivity and forward infrastructure not only strengthen military logistics but also open remote communities to economic activity. Khandu has consistently positioned his state as a frontline partner in India's national security calculus, and his amplification of the #12YearsOfSurakshitBharat campaign reinforces that alignment with the central government's messaging.

What's Next

Attention will turn to the Defence Ministry's capital acquisition proposals in the next budget cycle, where the pace of indigenisation and the scale of border infrastructure sanctioning will be tested against stated targets. Specific road and tunnel projects already approved under the India-China Border Roads programme in Arunachal Pradesh are among the deliverables that analysts and local stakeholders will watch closely.

As the BJP consolidates its '12 years' narrative ahead of future electoral cycles, senior leaders from strategically significant states like Arunachal Pradesh are likely to remain vocal amplifiers of the national security message — linking ground-level infrastructure gains to the broader story of a self-reliant, border-secure India.