Rajnath Singh Dushanbe diaspora address on Tuesday carried one clear message for the Indian community in Tajikistan. India, the Defence Minister said, is growing faster than most large economies and is building strength at home in defence, technology and trade.

India contributes more than 16 percent of global economic growth and is growing at around 7.8 percent, he told the gathering, even as several major economies face a slowdown.

Singh is in Dushanbe for the 25th SCO Council of Heads of Government meeting, a two-day visit announced on Sunday.

"Guided by the philosophy of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, India aspires to become a nation that combines prosperity, knowledge and strength with a commitment to global peace and the well-being of humanity," he said.

He credited India's economic transformation, reform-driven governance, technological progress and growing global standing under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership for moving the country towards that goal.

Rajnath Singh Dushanbe diaspora address cites record defence exports

Defence got its own place in the speech. According to the Ministry of Defence, Singh told the audience that defence exports have reached a record Rs 38,424 crore, while defence production has risen to Rs 1.80 lakh crore.

Start-ups also featured in the Rajnath Singh Dushanbe diaspora address. Their number has grown from a few hundred before 2014 to more than 2.5 lakh, he said. Nearly half of them come from smaller cities and towns, and more than 45 percent have at least one woman director or partner.

He linked this to cheaper mobile data and wider connectivity, which he said have opened up opportunities for more Indians, encouraged innovation and brought new talent through.

India has moved from policy paralysis to a reform express, says Defence Minister

Singh said the last decade had changed how India makes policy. The country, he said, has moved from an era of policy paralysis to a reform express driven by a clear policy direction.

"For us, reforms are not a compulsion; they are a conviction," he said.

He then turned to the numbers. The current account deficit, which was above 4 percent of GDP some 12 to 13 years ago, came down to 0.61 percent in the previous financial year, the Defence Minister noted. Foreign exchange reserves have crossed US$700 billion. The banking system, he added, is in its strongest position ever.

Around 25 crore people have been lifted out of poverty in the past decade, according to Singh.

He pointed to the JAM Trinity, which links Jan Dhan bank accounts, Aadhaar and mobile phones, and to Direct Benefit Transfer. Government assistance now goes straight into beneficiaries' bank accounts, he said, cutting corruption and making the system more transparent and convenient.

On trade, Singh said India has signed Free Trade Agreements with 38 countries, opening new markets for Indian manufacturers and producers. The India-UK and India-EU agreements are expected to remove tariffs on 99 percent of Indian exports to those markets, he said, which would strengthen India's trade prospects.

India is making both ships and chips, Rajnath Singh says

India's renewable energy capacity has grown from around 75 GW in 2014 to nearly 300 GW, Singh said.

He said the country is moving quickly towards semiconductor manufacturing through the Semicon India programme and the India Semiconductor Mission. "We're moving towards manufacturing both ships and chips, strengthening our position in strategic sectors," he said.

India has also become a global hub for real-time digital payments. The value of UPI transactions rose from Rs 7,000 crore in 2016-17 to Rs 314 lakh crore in 2025-26, the Defence Minister said, as the country moves towards an economy that uses less paper and less cash. He also listed the expansion of railways, roads, airports, ports and broadband.

In space, he referred to the success of Chandrayaan and Aditya-L1 and voiced confidence in the preparations for Gaganyaan, India's human spaceflight mission.

Diaspora called India's cultural ambassadors

Singh described India as a confident nation with which countries across the world want strong and positive relations. People of Indian origin, he said, serve as cultural ambassadors, carrying India's values and traditions abroad while contributing to the development of the countries they live in. He made a similar outreach to the Indian community in Colombo during his Sri Lanka visit in September.

Tajik Indologist Habibullo Rajabov felicitated in Dushanbe

India and Tajikistan share a strong bond of friendship, the Defence Minister said, helped by the popularity of Indian songs, music, literature and cinema among the Tajik people. He said the Indian diaspora remains a strong link in the longstanding cordial relations between the two countries.

The two nations established diplomatic relations on 28 August 1992, according to the Ministry of External Affairs. The Embassy of India in Dushanbe opened in 1994.

At the event, Singh felicitated Prof Habibullo Rajabov, a renowned Indologist and the first Padma Shri awardee from Tajikistan. Prof Rajabov, who received the award in 2018, was recognised for his contribution to Hindi literature and education, including an in-depth study of philology.

Indian and Tajik artists performed at the event.