Manmohan Singh as Minister of State for Defense. During his tenure as the Minister of State for Defense, in 2008 Pallam Raju visited Lebanon to meet the Indian peacekeepers who were part of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). He was the first to do so in five years. India has one infantry battalion deployed in charge of the eastern position of South Lebanon. In May 2008, he headed the delegation from the ministry and addressed the important Shangri La Dialogue (Annual Conference of Defense Ministers from the world) in Singapore.