The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), on Thursday, organised a national symposium and industry meet on ‘Emerging Technologies in Infrastructure Development’.

Inaugurated by Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane in New Delhi, the meet participated by the Armed Forces, academia, industry and DRDO. It aimed to foster dialogue, exchange knowledge and explore innovative approaches to address the challenges and opportunities presented by emerging technologies in infrastructure development in line with the vision of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’.

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The defence secretary emphasised the need to achieve self-reliance in every field to deal with future challenges. He stated that India is a country with a significant percentage of young population, and self-reliance will ensure gainful employment to them.

Underlining the importance of achieving ‘Aatmanirbharta’ in defence, Giridhar Aramane asserted that there is no trusted trend in geopolitics, and India cannot depend on other countries for its security & safeguarding national interests.

He stressed that self-reliance will help the country take giant strides on the path of becoming a developed nation by 2047.

Highlighting the emphasis being laid by the government on infrastructure development along the borders, he exhorted the infrastructure firms to contribute in further strengthening the apparatus.

He added that while the Armed Forces personnel are being provided with latest weapons/equipment, the private sector should contribute in bolstering the infrastructure set-up in the border areas.

The defence secretary stated that the DRDO is extending support to the private sector in Research & Development, and together they can come up with new innovations to build faster & better in the times to come.

He called upon the industry to walk hand-in-hand with the government, and focus more on the mass production of quality products in a time-bound manner, and urged the industry to collaborate with the academia to enhance the skills of the workforce, which can help realise a technology into a product.

Secretary of Department of Defence R&D and Chairman DRDO Dr Samir V Kamat emphasised the importance of infrastructure in the development of a nation. He said India is witnessing a phenomenal growth in the field of technical infrastructure, which is required to maintain the country’s strategic deterrence.

The DRDO Chairman added that technology is evolving rapidly, and the necessity of sustainable infrastructure and green infrastructure is now becoming a part of technical domain.

“It’s time ways to incorporate the latest technologies in our technical infrastructure were explored. We have made a good start, but work needs to be done to catch up with the best practices,” he said.