Given the fast changing nature of modern day warfare, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday said “the battlefield has changed. The wars of tomorrow will be fought with algorithms, autonomous systems and artificial intelligence.”
Making this assertion, he also said “Drones, anti-drone systems, quantum computing and directed-energy weapons will define the future. We have seen such a demonstration in Operation Sindoor as well.”
Underlining these point during during Raksha Navachar Samvaad: Interaction with iDEX Startups’, prior to the inauguration of the national conference, Rajnath Singh urged innovators to think beyond existing solutions and develop technologies that redefine warfare.
“We must not remain imitators or followers in technology we must become the creators and standard-setters for the world,” he added. Highlighting the measurable progress in indigenisation, the defence minister stated that defence capital acquisitions from domestic sources have increased from Rs 74,000 crore in 2021-22 to Rs 1.2 lakh crore in 2024-25. He termed this shift as “not merely a statistical change but a change in mindset from dependence to confidence.”
He also highlighted that under the Government’s Public Procurement Policy, at least 25 per cent of annual procurement is reserved for Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs), and over 350 items have been earmarked exclusively for them.
Rajnath Singh encouraged startups to set higher benchmarks, underlining that India has more than 100 Unicorns today, but none in the defence sector, calling upon them to change that.
He lauded the collective effort of innovators for contributing to record-breaking achievements in defence production worth Rs 1.5 lakh crore and exports exceeding Rs 23,000 crore in the last financial year.
Recalling the inception of iDEX in 2018, Rajnath Singh described it as a transformational initiative that has democratised defence innovation in India. He stated that when iDEX was launched, the idea was simple yet powerful to connect the talent of India’s youth with the technological needs of the Armed Forces.
The Defence Minister highlighted that the defence ministry is forging strategic alliances with the Department of Science & Technology, the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, and leading financial institutions to facilitate end-to-end support for startups.
The event organised by iDEX under the aegis of Department of Defence Production (DDP), MoD also featured an exhibition showcasing cutting-edge defence innovations developed under iDEX and ADITI, where Rajnath Singh interacted with the innovators and appreciated their technological breakthroughs.