JAMMU: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday called upon domestic defence companies to invest more in research and development for India to keep pace with the evolving world.
Addressing the North-Tech Symposium, jointly organised by the army’s Northern Command, the Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers (SIDM) and IIT-Jammu, Singh described the country’s defence manufacturing sector as “imaginative, innovative, dynamic and progressive”.
“Though research and development (R&D) is a risky venture as it requires out-of-the-box thinking and sometimes does not give desired results, it still remains one of the basic elements for the development of any country,” he said. Hence, capital investment in R&D becomes a necessity, the minister added.
The defence minister said India is passing through a transitional phase. “There is nothing wrong in acquiring a technology through imitation or transfer, but we cannot become a developed nation on these grounds alone. We need to file our own patents, for which a lot of investment in R&D is needed,” he said He said capital investment in R&D may reduce today’s profits, but it will prove to be beneficial to the industry and the country in the long term.
Highlighting the steps taken by Narendra Modi government to support the domestic industry, he said the synergy between the government and domestic companies has resulted in record defence production of Rs 1 lakh crore and exports of Rs 16,000 crore in the financial year 2023-24.
Singh expressed confidence that defence exports will soon touch the Rs 20,000-crore mark.
He extended the Ministry of Defence’s continued support to the industry for holistic development of the nation, in line with the ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ initiative. The defence minister urged industry partners to focus on creating a culture that encourages R&D, based on skilled human resources, and suggested linking the work of institutions such as IITs, IIMs and IISc with the defence sector to create an R&D ecosystem.
“Efforts should be made to connect with the Indian R&D sector, engineers and scientists who work in top universities, companies, space agencies and scientific research organisations abroad and wish to be a part of India’s growth story,” he said.
The defence minister also recommended hiring of managers, legal experts and financial experts from within the country and abroad to create a culture conducive for R&D.
“We cannot run our workforce in the 21st century on the basis of HR policies of the 19th century. Today, the quality of work is more important than the number of hours worked. Focus should be on intellect and innovation,” he said.
The defence minister said that “a work culture needs to be developed where there is a concept of senior and junior, and not superior and inferior”. He also noted that there is a need to involve women in R&D with “more effectiveness”.
JAMMU: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday called upon domestic defence companies to invest more in research and development for India to keep pace with the evolving world.
Addressing the North-Tech Symposium, jointly organised by the army’s Northern Command, the Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers (SIDM) and IIT-Jammu, Singh described the country’s defence manufacturing sector as “imaginative, innovative, dynamic and progressive”.
“Though research and development (R&D) is a risky venture as it requires out-of-the-box thinking and sometimes does not give desired results, it still remains one of the basic elements for the development of any country,” he said. Hence, capital investment in R&D becomes a necessity, the minister added.
The defence minister said India is passing through a transitional phase. “There is nothing wrong in acquiring a technology through imitation or transfer, but we cannot become a developed nation on these grounds alone. We need to file our own patents, for which a lot of investment in R&D is needed,” he said He said capital investment in R&D may reduce today’s profits, but it will prove to be beneficial to the industry and the country in the long term.
Highlighting the steps taken by Narendra Modi government to support the domestic industry, he said the synergy between the government and domestic companies has resulted in record defence production of Rs 1 lakh crore and exports of Rs 16,000 crore in the financial year 2023-24.
Singh expressed confidence that defence exports will soon touch the Rs 20,000-crore mark.
He extended the Ministry of Defence’s continued support to the industry for holistic development of the nation, in line with the ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ initiative. The defence minister urged industry partners to focus on creating a culture that encourages R&D, based on skilled human resources, and suggested linking the work of institutions such as IITs, IIMs and IISc with the defence sector to create an R&D ecosystem.
“Efforts should be made to connect with the Indian R&D sector, engineers and scientists who work in top universities, companies, space agencies and scientific research organisations abroad and wish to be a part of India’s growth story,” he said.
The defence minister also recommended hiring of managers, legal experts and financial experts from within the country and abroad to create a culture conducive for R&D.
“We cannot run our workforce in the 21st century on the basis of HR policies of the 19th century. Today, the quality of work is more important than the number of hours worked. Focus should be on intellect and innovation,” he said.
The defence minister said that “a work culture needs to be developed where there is a concept of senior and junior, and not superior and inferior”. He also noted that there is a need to involve women in R&D with “more effectiveness”.
