New Delhi, Oct 14 (PTI) Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday underlined the growing interlinkage between national security and technological capability, and emphasised that IITs can make a “significant contribution” by aligning academic research with operational defence requirements and industry needs.
In his address at the launch of IIT-Kanpur’s ‘Greater Than Us’ fundraising campaign in Delhi, he also called for close collaboration among the armed forces, the DRDO, academic institutions, defence PSUs and private industry to accelerate the development and adoption of indigenous technologies amid the rapidly evolving nature of warfare.
The government’s Aatmanirbhar Bharat commitment lies at the centre of its Viksit Bharat vision, as it aims to create a technologically capable, economically competitive, innovative and confident nation, which is not just a consumer of knowledge and technology, but an “active contributor” to their creation, Singh said.
The Union minister emphasised that strengthening indigenous technological capabilities is strategically crucial as artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, unmanned platforms, advanced sensors, cybersecurity and space-based technologies are “reshaping military dynamics”.
He underscored the growing interlinkage between national security and technological capability, and stressed that IITs can make a significant contribution by aligning academic research with operational defence requirements and industry needs, the defence ministry said in a statement.
Singh highlighted the importance of strong institutions of higher education and research in realising this vision, noting that the government has made sustained efforts to strengthen the ecosystem.
Acknowledging the initiatives undertaken in this direction, Singh made special mention of IIT-Kanpur’s DRDO-Industry-Academia Centre of Excellence and welcomed the proposal to establish a School of Defence Technologies at the institute.
He added that the proposal to set up a National Military Drone Technology Hub at IIT-Kanpur, in collaboration with the Ministry of Defence to fast-track indigenisation and innovation to gain a combat edge, has “made significant progress and its approval process is nearing completion”.
Singh exuded confidence that such partnerships would bring scientific talent, institutional expertise and the operational experience of the defence forces under one umbrella to develop indigenous technologies of strategic importance.
Stressing the need for sustained investment in research and innovation, he referred to the government’s approval of the Rs 1 lakh crore Research, Development and Innovation Scheme to catalyse private-sector investment in research and advanced technologies. PTI KND AMJ
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