Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday urged the research institutes to speed up activities in advanced technology and achieve progress to make India fully capable of dealing with emerging threats related to cyber and space.
Addressing the 12th convocation ceremony of Defence Institute of Advanced Technology (DIAT), Pune, he also shared insights on the continuously changing political and economic equations among nations in the current global scenario.
The Defence Minister said science and technology and methods of warfare are evolving at a rapid pace and there is a need to make fast progress in advanced technology to deal with non-kinetic or contactless warfare, which the world today is witnessing, in addition to the conventional methods.
“If our adversary possesses more advanced technologies, it can be a cause of concern for us in the future. There is an urgent need to move fast towards technological advancements in line with the changing times. This responsibility lies with our institutions. Defence sector is not a stagnant lake, but a flowing river. Just as a river, we need to keep surging ahead overcoming obstacles,” he said.
Highlighting the deep connection between cutting edge technologies and defence research, Rajnath also called upon the institutions such as DIAT to come up with new innovations which are not only useful to the defence sector, but equally effective for civilians.
He emphasised that dependence on import of defence equipment can become a hindrance to India’s strategic autonomy, which is the main reason the Government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is making all-out efforts to achieve self-reliance in the sector.
In addition, fourth positive indigenisation lists for DPSUs have been issued, comprising a total of 4,666 strategically-important Line Replacement Units/Sub-systems/Spares and Components.
He termed these steps as a testament to the steadfast commitment of the Government to attain ‘Aatmanirbharta’ in defence. He added that defence exports have increased manifold in recent years to approximately `16,000 crore in Financial Year 2022-23 from `900 crore in 2014. India is exporting defence equipment to many countries, with many showing interest and faith in the country’s manufacturing capabilities, he said.