New Delhi, May 25 (UNI) Defence Minister Rajnath Singh today said that a technologically advanced military is crucial to protect the interests of the nation.
Inaugurating a two day DRDO- Academia conclave in New Delhi, Rajnath Singh stressed that for a country like India, it becomes vital to have such a military as it faces a double threat on the borders.
“Today we are one of the largest armed forces in the world, the bravery and valour of our military is 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 double threat on our borders,” Rajnath Singh said, a statement said.
Underscoring the significance of the theme of the conclave “DRDO-Academia Partnership - Opportunities & Challenges”, Rajnath Singh said, it is a dire need that DRDO and Academia 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 acquire advanced technologies traverses through research and development (R&D) which plays a key role in the development of any country.
He expressed confidence that as partnership between DRDO and Academia reaches new heights, the fruits of this partnership will unlock potential of many new resources, which will benefit the entire country.
On the occasion, Rajnath Singh also 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, Scientific Adviser to Raksha Mantri Dr G Satheesh Reddy, Director General (Technology Management) Hari Babu Srivastava, Former Secretary – Department of Science & Technology Prof Ashutosh Sharma, and senior officers of Ministry of Defence and senior scientists from DRDO and academia were present on the occasion.
UNI RN