Imphal: Speaking at the Start-Up Manthan at Aero India 2023 Wednesday, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh equated Start-ups with new energy, new commitment and new enthusiasm.
He said that start-ups are more open to adopting new technology architecture, making them essential to India’s progress. Raksha Mantri applauded the growth of Indian start-ups in every sector, with numbers increasing to approximately one lakh today, including more than 100 unicorns.
He added that this shows the enthusiasm of our youth and their drive to innovate. Rajnath Singh also launched the Ninth edition of Defence India Startup Challenges (DISC 9) on “Cybersecurity” with 28 problem statements, and the iDEX Investor Hub (iIH). More than Rs 200 crores have already been pledged under iIH by leading Indian investors.
The Minister said that the Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) initiative, launched under the Defence Innovation Organisation (DIO) under the Ministry of Defence, has enabled talent from across the country to come forward. Our Services, DPSUs, Coast Guard as well as organisations under the Home-Ministry are giving problem statements to our youth, who are rising to the challenge every time, he mentioned.
The Defence Minister noted that India is supporting its youth to innovate, thereby empowering them to become job creators and manufacture indigenous defence products and reduce our dependence on imports.
Appreciating the enthusiastic response of start-ups, industry and other participants to the “Start Up Manthan”, he expressed confidence that India would emerge as a light house for the world in the field of innovation. He added that the event was a festival of the Indian Defence start-up ecosystem and an indicator of the success of iDEX.
He said, “iDEX has helped the development of several home-grown technologies and has provided an important platform to showcase innovations and technological developments. Start-Ups that have developed because of iDEX are also getting orders, which has fostered the Start-Up ecosystem in the country. iDEX has also given professionals the opportunity to understand futuristic technologies like Artificial Intelligence, Augmented reality, and Block-chain.”
The Defence Minister informed that iDEX has introduced several innovators to the market, leading to direct and indirect employment generation for our skilled, and semi-skilled workers. In recognition of its impact, the platform was given the PM Award in the Innovation category, he informed. He also mentioned that the Ministry of Defence has established a simplified, fast-track procedure for procurement from start-ups and MSMEs due to their employment generation potential.
He said that iDEX has contributed to Aatmanirbharta in the Defence ecosystem and emphasised the government’s commitment to support entrepreneurs through new opportunities and facilitate the development of technologies through policy interventions. To this end, the government has introduced various grants to encourage innovators and start-ups, he said.
