Private sector must take lead in defence sector, says Rajnath Singh

Rajnath Singh stated that embracing unconventional ideas is the only way to advance in unconventional warfare. He affirmed that the government, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, will continue to support youth, scientists, industrialists, and MSMEs in this effort.

In Short

• Singh said technology has transformed traditional warfare into unconventional warfare
• He noted that adopting unconventional strategies is essential for progress in this area
• He reiterated the government’s commitment to innovation in the defence sector

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has called upon the private sector to move forward from 'participation' to 'taking the lead' in the defence sector, assuring full government support to make the country a hub for innovation and technology.

Speaking at the Twaral workshop on Defence Technology Acceleration, held in New Delhi on Friday, he addressed industry leaders, scientists, academia, start-ups, and MSMEs, encouraging them to embrace out-of-the-box thinking and advance both incremental and disruptive technologies.

Sharing insights on the transformation of the defence sector in the recent past, Singh stated that technology has transformed conventional warfare into unconventional warfare today.

"New dimensions have been added to modern-day warfare such as drones, cyber warfare, bio-weapons and space defence. In this transformative phase, R&D in defence will definitely make the defence sector stronger. It is heartening to witness our scientists, industrialists, academia, start-ups, MSMEs and young entrepreneurs working together in this endeavour. It is time for the private sector to take lead as it has the ability to absorb rapid changes and create new innovations," he said.

The Defence Minister reiterated the government's commitment to make the defence sector more innovative and technology-oriented.

As part of the event, Singh launched 'Dare to Dream 5.0' to encourage the next generation of innovators and start-ups to come forward with transformative ideas for defence applications.

He also recognised the winners of ‘Dare to Dream 4.0’ for their innovative solutions in areas like drone countermeasures, gunfire detection, and multi-terrain robotics.

Several cutting-edge indigenous technologies developed under the Technology Development Fund (TDF) scheme were handed over to end-users, including DRDO and the Armed Forces. These include autonomous drones and simulators for unmanned vehicles.