Need Technologically Advanced Military To Protect Our Interests: Rajnath Singh

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said that a technologically advanced military is crucial to protect the interests of the nation.

He was addressing the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) scientists and other senior officials during the inauguration of a two-day 'DRDO-Academia' conclave in New Delhi on Thursday.

He stressed that for a country like India, it becomes vital to have such a military as it faces a double threat on borders.

"Today we are one of the largest armed forces in the world, the bravery and valour of our military are praised all over the world. Countries across the world express their willingness to conduct joint exercises with our armed forces. In such a situation, it becomes imperative that we have a technologically advanced military to protect the interests of the country. For a country like India, it becomes very important because we are facing a double threat on our borders," Singh said.

Underscoring the significance of the theme of the conclave "DRDO-Academia Partnership - Opportunities and Challenges", Singh said, it is a dire need that DRDO and Academia to work in partnership with each other to find solutions to the challenges being faced by us in the 21st century. "This partnership will prove helpful in making India a leading nation in defence technologies," he said.

He underlined that the path to acquiring advanced technologies traverses through research and development (R&D) which plays a key role in the development of any country.

"Unless we do research, we will not be able to adopt new technologies. R&D has the ability to convert ordinary substances into valuable resources. It has been a key factor in the development of civilizations throughout history," Rajnath Singh added.

He expressed confidence that as the partnership between DRDO and Academia reaches new heights, the fruits of this partnership will unlock the potential of many new resources, which will benefit the entire country.

Elaborating on the benefits of the DRDO - Academia partnership, Defence Minister stressed, through this synergy, the DRDO will get a skilled human resource base from eminent institutions like IISC, IITs, NITs and other universities from across the country as these institutions, nurture a large pool of talented and skilled youth.

He also urged the DRDO scientists and academia to deliberate on the option of deployment of the scientists of DRDO as faculty in the academic institutions for a specific period, which will give a new perspective to our Academia, whereas the intellectuals of Academia can also serve on deputation as a scientist within DRDO.

On the occasion, he felicitated eminent scientists who have made outstanding contributions in the area of Aeronautics, Armaments, Life Sciences and Naval systems and other DRDO requirements through the grant-in-aid DRDO projects. He also released a Compendium of Invited talks about thrust areas for academia in understanding the requirements and opportunities in DRDO.

Secretary, Department of Defence R&D and Chairman of DRDO Dr Samir V Kamat and senior officers of the Ministry of Defence and senior scientists from DRDO and academia were present on the occasion.

The two-day conclave aims to create an interface between DRDO's requirements and Academia's capability by a synergistic dialogue between DRDO Directors, scientists and academicians. It is being attended by about 350 senior academicians across the country.

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