Rajnath Singh calls for turning India into tech ‘leader from imitator’
Defence minister Rajnath Singh told the CII event that “a leader nation” grabs an opportunity, innovates and invents a new technology, while the “imitator” follows the leader
NEW DELHI: Defence ministerRajnath Singh on Thursday asked industry captains to pump money into defence research and development, make inroads into new sectors and develop innovative solutions to help India transform into “a leader from an imitator” in futuristic technologies and stay prepared to deal with challenges stemming from the current global security scenario.
“We need to set new goals and achieve them through innovative methods to keep ourselves prepared to deal with challenges arising out of the ever-evolving global situation. Technology improves the utilisation of available resources. It acts as a force multiplier,” Singh said at the annual session of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) themed on Future Frontiers: Competitiveness, Technology, Sustainability and Internationalisation.
He said “a leader nation” grabs an opportunity, innovates and invents a new technology, while the “imitator” follows the leader. Singh said security equations were changing at an unprecedented pace and countries were focusing more than ever on technological advancements in different fields.
He said R&D in cutting-edge technology was the only way to achieve goals, as it opened new dimensions crucial for the development and security of any nation in today’s times. He underlined the need for R&D to achieve excellence in various fields, including defence, health, education, agriculture, commerce and communication, while stating that it can give the country an edge over others.
“To keep ourselves strong, we need to maintain our edge in these sectors. It will be possible only if we become technology leaders.”
Singh said the key requirements for a country to become a technology leader included substantial capital, a robust R&D infrastructure, and the ability to adopt, understand and create a base of previous technologies.
He said the country’s population, which was once considered a liability, was now being seen as an asset. “India is currently passing through a demographic dividend. Policies have been rolled out for the optimum utilisation of this population. We have strengthened the ease of doing business and ease of living in India through the socio-economic technology of good governance. Reforms have been made in the education and health sectors, which focus on making the population educated as well as healthy and skilled.”
Speaking at another event, Singh said a technologically advanced military was crucial to protect the interests of the nation in the backdrop of threats from China and Pakistan.
“Today we are one of the largest armed forces in the world, and the bravery and valour of our military is praised all over. Countries 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,” he said while inaugurating a DRDO- academia conclave.
At this event too, Singh focussed on R&D.
“Unless we do research, we will not be able to adopt new technologies. R&D can convert ordinary substances into valuable resources.”
“I don’t see the partnership between DRDO and academia from the point of view of 1+1=2, but as 1+1=11. That is, when these two entities cooperate with each other, not only will both get double benefit, but the entire nation will benefit greatly,” he added.
