Defence Minister A K Antony on Thursday said that India has placed an order of purchase for a ship with the United States and that the same has already arrived and been inducted into the Indian Navy.
"The ship has arrived in India and the Indian Navy has assessed her residual life to be over 10 years and the ship is a landing platform dock. India has not purchased any landing platform dock from Russia," he said in Rajya Sabha.
When asked why India has not been able to produce a single warship since achieving independence, the Defence Minister said, "A number of major and minor warships were constructed in India over the last four decades".
In response to another question on recruits from minority communities in the armed forces, Antony said that India was a secular nation and armed forces have apolitical character. "Recruitment to the forces is based on merit and is open to every citizen of the country, without any discrimination on the basis of their caste, creed, religion or region," he said.
The Defence Minister also said that there were some defects found in 200 Light Bullet Proof Vehicles procured in July 2005 and similarly, in the later order of 9 such vehicles in 2007.
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