Engineers should evince interest in defence research, says NITI Aayog member

Scientist and NITI Aayog member Vijay Kumar Saraswat on Friday said that the Central government had significantly increased the allocation for the defence sector in the Union Budget to ensure that India’s defence capabilities remain globally competitive.

Speaking at ‘Defence Science Conclave’ organised by the NRI Institute of Technology and Pharmacy, Vijayawada, in collaboration with the Academy for Science, Technology and Communication (ASTC), Hyderabad, to commemorate the legacies of former Scientific Advisor to the Defence Minister and architect of India’s Defence R&D Infrastructure Suri Bhagavantam and former President of India A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, Mr. Saraswat encouraged the engineering students to take a keen interest in defence research and contribute to strengthening the nation’s security framework.

“Defence science today is a highly multidisciplinary field,” he said, recalling that before 1947, India’s defence manufacturing facilities were established by the British primarily to support their war efforts during the Second World War.

“While weapons and equipment were supplied from the UK, ordnance factories in India were set up to handle repairs, maintenance, and supply-chain support for these imported systems,” he said.

He said immediately after Independence, India faced an undeclared war with Pakistan over Jammu and Kashmir. “Although the conflict was not formally declared, India successfully defended and retained the territory. This experience made it clear that the nation needed to develop the capability to fight future wars using indigenously developed equipment and technology,” he said.

The first Prime Minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru, recognising this strategic necessity, envisioned a scientific organisation similar to the United Kingdom’s defence research structure and with guidance from his close associate Patrick Blackett, the Scientific Adviser to the British Government, initiated the establishment of India’s defence research framework, he recalled.

Mr. Saraswat recalled the pivotal role of Daulat Singh Kothari, a renowned physicist from Udaipur in Rajasthan, in the formation of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the role of eminent scientists, specifically Suri Bhagavantam, Raja Ramanna and others, who built the foundation of India’s self-reliant defence sector by driving indigenous development in missiles, nuclear technology and weaponry.

He said from a handful of laboratories in 1952, DRDO has now expanded into a vast network of laboratories engaged in diverse areas of defence research.

Former Vice-Chancellor of JNTU-Hyderabad and former Chairman of DRDO D. N. Reddy called upon young engineers to develop defence systems that meet international standards. He urged them to shoulder this responsibility and work towards building technologies capable of effectively countering emerging threats.

Scientists SVS Narayana Murthy and R. Balamurali Krishna, molecular biologist Ch. Mohan Rao and Manoj Kumar also spoke, while Vice-Chancellor of Mangalayatan University in Jabalpur K.R.S. Sambasiva Rao, NRI Institute of Technology C. Naga Bhaskar, CEO M. Teja Sai, Academic Director G. Sambasiva Rao, ASTC secretary ASTC secretary C.L. Narasimha Rao were present.