Prayagraj, May 4 (IANS) Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday said the government has placed defence research at the centre of its priorities and the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has already transferred 2,200 technologies to various industries.

Addressing defence personnel, industry captains, innovators and start-ups at the inaugural session of the three-day ‘North Tech Symposium’, organised here by the Indian Army’s Northern and Central Commands and Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers, the minister underscored the importance of sustained focus on research and cultivating the element of surprise to stay future-ready in the present era of intense technological revolution.

He pointed out that 25 per cent of the defence R&D budget has been allocated to the industry, academia, and start-ups, and to date, these entities have already utilised over Rs 4,500 crore of the budget.

He highlighted the explosive rate of technological change being witnessed in modern-day warfare, in addition to the emergence of the constant “never-imagined-before” element of surprise. “In the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the nature of warfare transformed from tanks and missiles to game-changer drones and sensors within a span of merely three or four years. Furthermore, things which are part of day-to-day life are turning into deadly weapons. The pager attacks in Lebanon and Syria have prompted a reassessment of modern warfare methods. In such a situation, we need to be prepared,” Singh said.

He emphasised the need to adopt a proactive approach and build capabilities that enable the country, should the need arise, to launch an unexpected strike against its adversary.

Rajnath Singh highlighted that a new Transfer of Technology policy has been implemented, wherein the 20 per cent fee, levied earlier, has been completely waived off for Development-cum-Production Partners, Development Partners, and Production Agencies.

The minister further stated that DRDO has initiated a policy granting Indian industries free access to its patents, a move that will bolster both their technological capabilities and global competitiveness. “DRDO’s testing facilities have also been opened up for the industries on a payment basis. Every year, hundreds of industries utilise these facilities for R&D support,” he said.

He said the government would extend full support to industries for stepping forward and excelling in areas such as Directed Energy Weapons, Hypersonic Weapons, Underwater Domain Awareness, Space Situational Awareness, Quantum Technologies, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning.

Rajnath Singh described Operation Sindoor as a prime example of technological warfare and the nation’s readiness in which cutting-edge indigenous equipment, including advanced missile systems such as Akashteer, Akash missile system and BrahMos, were used.

He underlined that the government’s self-reliance efforts are yielding positive results as the domestic defence production has reached a record high of Rs 1.54 lakh crore in Financial Year 2025-26, with defence exports touching an all-time high figure of Rs 38,424 crore.

Enumerating the steps taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government to strengthen the defence ecosystem of the country, the minister stated that the initiatives such as Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX), Acing Development of Innovative Technologies with iDEX (ADITI) and Technology Development Fund (TDF) are striving to foster innovation and significantly increase private sector participation.

General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-in-C), Central Command Lieutenant General Anindya Sengupta and GOC-in-C, Northern Command Lieutenant General Pratik Sharma also addressed the gathering.

–IANS

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