Self-reliance in defence equipment manufacturing crucial for maintaining India’s strategic autonomy: Rajnath Singh
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The Minister additionally requested officers to extend the grants that the start-ups below Innovations for Defence Excellence obtain.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday stated attaining self-reliance in manufacturing of defence equipment is a crucial issue for maintaining India’s strategic autonomy.
The Minister additionally requested officers to extend the grants that the start-ups below Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) obtain.
“I spoke to Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat and he too expressed his worry that the amount our iDEX start-ups get is less. I ask our Secretary Defence Production and Secretary Defence to see that it is increased in some way. I feel that it is too less,” Mr. Singh stated.
Speaking on the “Startup Manthan” on the Aero India-2021 in Bengaluru, he stated, attaining self-reliance in the manufacturing of defence equipment is a crucial issue for maintaining India’s strategic autonomy.
“The iDEX initiative stands out as one of the most effective and well-executed defence Start-up ecosystems created in our country. I believe it is a decisive step towards achieving self-reliance in the true spirit of the Aatmanirbhar Bharat campaign,” he added.
Launched in April 2018, iDEX goals to realize self-reliance and foster innovation and expertise improvement in Defence and Aerospace by participating Industries together with MSMEs, start-ups, particular person innovators, R&D institutes and academia.
iDEX has partnered with main incubators in the nation to offer hand holding, technical help and steerage to the winners of iDEX challenges.
A powerful success since its launch, the ‘Startup India programme’ at the moment boasts an ecosystem of greater than 41,000 start-ups and 4.7 lakh jobs reported by them, Mr. Singh stated, noting ₹4,500 crore funding had been made in 384 start-ups by means of the Fund of Funds scheme.
In such an ecosystem, it won’t be an exaggeration to say the nation’s economic system was quickly going to be pushed by these start-ups, he stated, including the federal government was acutely aware that start-ups being newest entrants in the defence manufacturing sector required that “extra push”.
“With this aim in view, we have taken many steps to foster and encourage this part of the private industry, like opening of patent laboratories of DRDO to private industry, setting up of young scientist labs in niche technology areas …,” he added.
Mr. Singh famous that in the aerospace sector itself 300 plus start-ups are presently engaged and below iDEX, 10 start-ups have developed merchandise value ₹100 crore which have been displayed at Aero India 21.
“I am very happy to announce that 45 MSMEs who have participated in Aero India have already got orders worth ₹203 crore. This is a very heartening news and I am sure it will grow further in the times to come,” he stated.
