Defence Minister Rajnath Singh today said that the country must work in mission mode to emerge as a global hub of indigenous drone manufacturing in the next few years.

Addressing the National Defence Industries Conclave in New Delhi, Mr Singh stressed the urgent need to build a drone production ecosystem to ensure strategic autonomy, enhance defence preparedness and make the country Aatmanirbhar in view of the present geopolitical uncertainties.

Mr Singh also underlined that Micro-Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) are emerging as an important pillar of the country’s defence manufacturing sector. The Defence Minister highlighted that several MSMEs are actively working in emerging areas such as Artificial Intelligence, automation, robotics and other advanced technologies. He reiterated that the government’s commitment is to creating a robust and inclusive defence industrial ecosystem. He added that the ecosystem will enable MSMEs, start-ups and young innovators to play a leading role in shaping the future of India’s defence capabilities.

As part of the inaugural session, Mr Singh launched the 14th edition of Defence India Start-up Challenge and the 4th edition of ADITI challenges under the iDEX framework. Highlighting the numerous initiatives undertaken by the Government to strengthen the MSMEs, the Defence Minister stated that a three-pronged approach has been introduced in this year’s Union Budget to provide MSMEs with Equity, Liquidity, and Professional support.