Defence Minister Rajnath Singh today emphasisied that self reliance in defence sector can be achieved through seamless collaboration among the Defence Forces, Research and Development institutions and the industry. He called for greater dialogue, co-development and co-production to accelerate technology adoption and strengthen India’s defence manufacturing ecosystem. Addressing the DRDO-Industry Synergy Meet, ‘VIMARSH 2026’ in New Delhi, Mr Singh said that DRDO has demonstrated its capabilities in every field, from missiles to radars, combat aircraft to submarines, electronic warfare system to Artificial Intelligence.
The Defence Minister said that the reforms witnessed in the defence sector over the past few years are unprecedented and several game-changing decisions have also been taken. These include the Positive Indigenisation List, the Make in India initiative, iDEX, ADITI and the decision to allocate 25 percent of the Defence Research and Development budget to the private sector. Mr Singh asserted that these measures have been taken to ensure that India does not remain dependent on imports in the defence sector, but moves towards self-reliance.
Describing MSMEs as a backbone of the Indian economy, Mr Singh said that their contribution in components, sub-systems and essential services is significant in the defence sector. He added that MSMEs will have to continuously focus on quality, delivery, innovation and global standards, as well as increase partnerships with large companies. The Defence Minister stressed that a new wave of defence startups is rising in India. He said that these startups are not only innovative but also agile and are disrupting the traditional defence manufacturing model. The Minister said that the opportunities in the defence sector have increased for them with funding, mentorship, and market access.
Mr Singh underlined that the goal of Viksit Bharat is not merely to build an economically strong nation, but to also make it technologically self-reliant, socially inclusive, environmentally sustainable, and strategically secure. He emphasised that a nation that possesses its own technology holds the power to shape its own future, adding that self-reliance must become an integral part of the country’s character and attitude. During the event, nine licensing agreements for Transfer of Technology were handed over to 13 manufacturing partners to enable commercial production of state-of-the-art systems. DRDO also signed a contract with Quality Council of India for System for Advance Manufacturing Assessment and Rating version 2.0 to benchmark the manufacturing maturity of domestic defence enterprises.
