Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday said that India is increasingly achieving self-reliance in its defence sector, moving away from a heavy dependence on imports for arms and equipment. He attributed this progress to a robust ecosystem established by the government.

“There was a time when we relied heavily on imports, stifling innovative ideas,” Singh stated. “Even if ideas emerged, there was no system to implement them. Thanks to our Prime Minister’s vision, we have seen significant improvements in recent years. Today, we have a concrete ecosystem in place, propelling us toward self-reliance.”

Singh made these remarks while inaugurating the third edition of the Acing Development of Innovative Technologies with iDEX (ADITI 3.0) challenge and the 13th Defence India Start-up Challenges (DISC 13) during the ‘Swavlamban’ seminar hosted by the Naval Innovation and Indigenisation Organisation (NIIO) at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi.

He emphasized the crucial role of both the public and private sectors in realizing the vision of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ (self-reliant India), reaffirming the government’s commitment to fostering collaboration among all stakeholders.

“Our public sector has long been involved in defence. However, we recognized that a bird cannot fly with just one wing; both wings must be strengthened,” Singh explained. He highlighted efforts to boost private sector participation in the defence industrial ecosystem.

He noted the rapid progress of Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs), mentioning that Hindustan Aeronautics Limited recently achieved ‘Maharatna’ status due to its enhanced capabilities.

Singh expressed satisfaction with the DPSUs’ performance and urged both DPSUs and the private sector to continually strive for innovation. “We must achieve new heights through continuous innovation,” he said.

The Defence Minister pointed out that the government’s initiatives have not only reduced import dependence but also fostered collaboration between the public and private sectors for self-reliance in defence. This has led to a surge in science, technology, and innovation, awakening a sense of self-reliance among the youth.

Later, Singh recognized the winners of the iDEX challenges and Hackathon awards. He shared that over the last two sessions of ‘Swavlamban,’ the Indian Navy received more than 2,000 proposals from domestic industries under the iDEX Naval Innovation and Indigenisation Organisation and Technology Development Acceleration Cell (SPRINT) challenges.

“Of these, 155 proposals have been converted into challenges, which will facilitate the completion of 171 contracts,” he added.