Defence minister Rajnath Singh has called on the private sector to transition from merely participating to taking the lead in India’s defence sector, promising the Government’s full support in transforming the country into an innovation and technology hub. He made these remarks while addressing a diverse audience of scientists, industry leaders, academia, start-ups, MSMEs, and young entrepreneurs during Twaral, a DRDO-Industry Workshop on Defence Technology Acceleration held at DRDO Bhawan in New Delhi on October 18.
Reflecting on recent transformations in the defence landscape, Rajnath Singh noted that technology has shifted conventional warfare towards unconventional forms. “New dimensions have been added to modern-day warfare such as drones, cyber warfare, bioweapons, and space defence. In this transformative phase, R&D in defence will definitely make the defence sector stronger,” he said. He expressed enthusiasm about the collaborative efforts of scientists, industrialists, and young entrepreneurs, emphasizing the private sector’s capacity to adapt quickly and innovate.
He highlighted that embracing unconventional ideas is essential for progress in modern warfare. While acknowledging the challenges ahead, he assured that the Government, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, will continue to support youth, scientists, industrialists, and MSMEs in this pursuit.
Rajnath Singh reiterated the Government’s commitment to fostering a more innovative and technology-oriented defence sector. He detailed the Technology Development Fund (TDF) scheme, which offers up to 90% of project costs as grant support to eligible industries, amounting to a total of Rs 50 crore. “Since its launch six years ago, 79 projects have been sanctioned, of which technology has successfully been developed in 18 projects,” he added.
At the event, Rajnath Singh launched ‘Dare to Dream 5.0’, aimed at encouraging the next generation of innovators and start-ups to propose transformative ideas for defence applications. This fifth edition of DRDO’s innovation contest seeks to generate cutting-edge solutions as India aims for self-reliance in defence technologies.
He also recognized the winners of ‘Dare to Dream 4.0’, honouring individual innovators, start-ups, and MSMEs for their disruptive solutions in areas such as drone countermeasures, acoustic systems for gunfire location, and multi-terrain robots.
“Like our brave soldiers, scientists, industry leaders, academia, start-ups, MSMEs, and entrepreneurs too are the warriors of the country, prepared to complete every assigned task,” Rajnath Singh remarked, underscoring their pivotal role in securing the future of the defence sector.
Emphasizing the need for advancements in both incremental and disruptive technologies, he encouraged participants to think creatively and embrace challenges. He urged the private sector to keep pace with rapid technological advancements globally, ensuring that new technologies do not become obsolete upon rollout.
Several Deep-Tech Challenges were introduced to drive innovation in critical defence areas, including compact electromechanical actuators and indigenous thrusters for the Indian Navy. These initiatives reflect India’s commitment to developing breakthrough technologies essential for national security.
During the event, various indigenous technologies developed under the TDF scheme were also handed over to users, including DRDO and the Armed Forces. Innovations such as an autonomous drone for indoor search missions and advanced simulators for unmanned vehicles mark significant strides toward self-reliance in defence.
The DRDO-Industry Workshop on Defence Technology Acceleration brought together all the stakeholders of the innovation ecosystem to explore strategies for expediting the development of critical defence technologies. The discussions were centred on bridging the gap between research efforts and real-world application, with a strong focus on collaboration across sectors. Setting the foundation for future innovations, the workshop underscored the critical role of DeepTech (R&D) in advancing national security capabilities.
The Amended Standard Operating Procedures for TDF, aimed at simplifying the process for start-ups and MSMEs to collaborate with DRDO, was also released. These updated procedures are designed to foster a more transparent and streamlined approach for innovators, enabling easier access to opportunities for contributing to national defence projects.
Dr Samir V Kamat, Secretary of the Department of Defence R&D and Chairman of DRDO, praised the winners of ‘Dare to Dream 4.0’ for their contributions to building a stronger, self-reliant defence sector. Other senior officials from the Ministry of Defence were also present at the occasion.
