Will be net defence exporter: Rajnath Singh

New Delhi, May 15

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh today exhorted research institutes to speed up activities in advanced technology so as to make India fully capable of dealing with emerging cyber and space threats.

He was addressing the 12th convocation of the Defence Institute of Advanced Technology (DIAT), Pune. Referring to China, without naming it, the minister said, “If our adversaries manage to possess better technology, it will be a cause of concern for us in the future.”

“Dependence on the import of defence equipment can become a hindrance in India’s strategic autonomy, which is why the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government is making all-out efforts to achieve self-reliance in the sector,” Rajnath said. “Without self-reliance, we cannot take independent decisions on global issues in line with our national interests. We aim to become a net exporter instead of importer,” he said.

“Science, technology and methods of warfare are evolving at a rapid pace and there is a need to make fast technological progress in order to deal with contactless warfare,” he said.

He spoke of steps taken by the MoD to promote self-reliance, including promulgation of four positive indigenisation lists for armed forces comprising 411 systems and equipment.