‘Use knowledge, edu to defeat terrorist forces’
Youths to be given equal opportunity, says defence minister Rajnath Singh
LUCKNOW: Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday said India had a tradition of valuing knowledge and education as strengths and these should be used to defeat fundamentalist and terrorist forces.
Speaking at the inaugural ceremony of the DefExpo 2020 that Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated in Lucknow, Singh said youths would be given an opportunity in the defence manufacturing sector.
Defence equipment exports should not be viewed merely as a strategic requirement, but as a means to fulfil the legitimate needs of nations and contribute to peace, he said. With emphasis being laid on innovation and ideation, India would soon emerge as a major defence manufacturing hub, he predicted. Singh pointed that due to the policy initiatives taken by the government, India had moved from a buyer-seller relationship to partnerships with countries around the world.
He said the defence ministry too had talked about increasing defence exports and worked out the 3P strategy – policy, production and partners. In an effort to boost defence production, the cap on foreign direct investment had been increased to 49%, he said.
He said the defence ministry had adopted a single window clearance policy and simplified industrial licensing and defence procurement procedures.
The emphasis on technologies like Artificial Intelligence, Augmented Virtual Reality, Autonomous Systems, Internet of Military Things and Industry was a reflection of the priorities of India, the minister said. He also said that the growth of defence production and export of Make in India platforms was well and truly underway. “Today, we have gathered here some of the best innovators, engineers, scientists and technical experts from around the world,” he said.
“Science and technology are making rapid strides into completely new domains that will change the character of future wars and battlefield conditions,” he said.