Eminent defence scientist Satheesh Reddy, who is now Scientific Advisor to the Defence Minister after working as chairman of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), has said that the winds of change for the better blowing across all sectors and the country are transforming the nation from an entity importing technology to one exporting technology.
Delivering the fourth convocation address of Sharnbasva University online, Dr Reddy said that within five years, the country has seen 73,000 startups setting shop. These startups have come up in all spheres of the industrial sector right from the defence to the ancillary units to the IT industry.
Dr Reddy said that the Ministry of Defence has given the green signal to many new initiatives by startups in select areas of defence production. The Defence Research and Development Organisation is in the forefront of providing liberal assistance to meritorious students with innovative ideas. A sum of ₹10 crore is provided to students submitting bright proposals to the DRDO in defence-related R&D activities and at the industry level, DRDO extends assistance to an extent of ₹50 crore for design and development of innovative technology, he added.
Dr. Reddy said that at the university and centres of higher education level, DRDO provides an assistance of up to ₹50 crore to students to take up research activities in incubation centres in their respective universities for any good project.
“The government has come out with many schemes and projects for the support of research for achieving advanced technology,” he said.
The dedication to the country of its first indigenous aircraft carrier Vikrant by Prime Minister Narendra Modi a couple of days ago is the first major step towards achieving self-sufficiency in defence matters, he added.
