Nowshera: Reiterating his vision of 'Atmanirbhar Bharat', Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said that the commitment to self-reliance in the defence sector is the only way to change old methods of procuring defence equipment.

While addressing soldiers at Nowshera in Jammu and Kashmir, the Prime Minister said, "Earlier, it used to take years together to procure defence equipment for the security forces. The commitment to self-reliance in the defence sector is the only way to change old methods."

The Prime Minister also that this will make the defence sector stronger.

PM Modi further said that the connectivity of the border has significantly improved our security deployment capability.

"Connectivity in border areas has improved- be it from Ladakh to Arunachal Pradesh, Jaisalmer to Andaman and Nicobar Islands. This has helped us enhance our deployment capability," the Prime Minster said.

He continued his annual tradition of celebrating Diwali with the soldiers. PM Modi left from Delhi for Nowshera today with minimum security arrangements.

During his address, the Prime Minister also said, "It fills every Indian with pride on the role this brigade played during the surgical strike."

Earlier in the day, the Prime Minister paid tribute to soldiers who lost their lives in the line of duty.