Niche, advance technologies to play key role in propelling India to superpower status, says Rajnath Singh

@the_news_21 

Pune: Advanced and niche technologies will play a pivotal role in the process if India is to be a superpower in the near future, remarked Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday. 

He was speaking at the Defence Institute of Advanced Technology (DIAT) here in Pune. Singh further stated that scientists and professors at DIAT would be the mainstay in inventing advanced technological products that are vital to the nation’s security.

“If we want to make India a superpower in the next 10,15 or 20 years, then it is a given that advanced and niche technologies will play a vital role. And only an institute like DIAT can contribute here, much more than anyone else…it fills me with pride to be Defence Minister of such institutes and I think DIAT should get national recognition,” said the Defence Minister, stating that the Institute was identifying technologies of the future and training manpower at the same time. 

Lauding the efforts of scientists at DIAT, Singh further said that the products being developed here could work wonders and that they were in line with the Prime Minister’s ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat (Self-reliant India)’ mission.  

“Even if common people may not understand the importance of your (DIAT scientists) efforts or your role, I understand it all too well, having been a student of physics and a teacher myself,” said the Defence Minister, urging DIAT to hold international workshops in the future to publicize its work. 

Singh disclosed that initiatives had been launched by his Ministry wherein members of the armed forces, the academia, industry and government representatives could come on a common platform and share knowledge and best practices to further innovation. 

“We have mooted initiatives where knowledge and best practices will be shared. But this will only be possible through mutual coordination, else it will not transpire,” he said. 

The Defence Minister referred to the iDEX For Fauji initiative, which was launched during the Defence-Expo in 2018 with the aim to encourage and nurture innovations in the Indian Defence sector, and observed that it had attracted new talent. 

Singh further disclosed that the Centre has approved a massive outlay of Rs. 1000 crore only for iDEX-linked purchases – an unprecedented outlay which had not been done previously for schemes of this nature.   

“Moreover, the Defence Ministry has also earmarked Rs. 500 crore separately to support 300 start-ups to enhance innovation in the defence and aero-space sector. I promise that this amount will increase if I remain Defence Minister,” he said. 

Stating that a climate for research and innovation had been facilitated by the Centre, Singh said that Centre was increasing the role to be performed by the private sector in Defence. 

“I was recently in Nagpur where a private sector firm handed over one lakh grenades to the Indian Army manufactured over an astonishing five month-period. One hand grenade costs Rs. 3,400, the firm was also exporting them to countries like Indonesia for Rs. 7,400 per grenade,” said the Minister. He further remarked that Indian command over, and advancements in technology could help propel the country into becoming an economic superpower. 

Singh said that the effects of the Centre’s patronage and push towards research and development (R&D) was beginning to show results at the present moment. He pointed out that in the National Education Policy 2020, the government had given hard thought to the shape of the National Research Foundation (NRF) and had earmarked Rs. 50,000 crore to be expended on researchers and their five-year courses. 

Earlier, the Defence Minister presided over DIAT’s General Body Meeting of the institute and interacted with the faculty and students besides inaugurating newly constructed facilities. 

He will also be visiting the headquarters of the Southern Command of the Indian Army and the Army Sports Institute (ASI), where he will be felicitating the Armed Forces personnel who represented India in the recently concluded Tokyo Olympics including Subedar Neeraj Chopra, who won the Gold medal in javelin throw.