The Aryavarth Express
Agency(New Delhi): At the DefConnect 2024 event in New Delhi, Defence Minister Shri Rajnath Singh introduced the Acing Development of Innovative Technologies with iDEX (ADITI) scheme, aimed at fostering innovations in critical and strategic defence technologies. The scheme, with a budget of Rs 750 crore over 2023-24 to 2025-26, is set to support start-ups with grants of up to Rs 25 crore for their projects under the Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) framework of the Department of Defence Production, Ministry of Defence.
The initiative aims to develop around 30 deep-tech critical and strategic technologies within its tenure. It also plans to establish a ‘Technology Watch Tool’ to align the modern Armed Forces’ needs with the capabilities of the defence innovation ecosystem. In its inaugural edition, ADITI has launched 17 challenges across various defence services.
Defence Minister Singh emphasized the government’s dedication to encouraging youth innovation, referencing the evolution of iDEX to iDEX Prime and the subsequent launch of the ADITI scheme as steps to nurture youth innovation and aid the country’s technological advancement in defence.
Additionally, the 11th Defence India Start-up Challenge (DISC) was unveiled, presenting 22 problem statements from different defence services, aiming to leverage the start-up ecosystem to address critical defence needs and enhance national security.
Singh highlighted the necessity of India gaining a technological edge to achieve self-reliance and independence in global decision-making, focusing on the development of indigenous technology through research and development. The minister outlined the government’s efforts towards domestic defence production, which has seen significant growth, and mentioned measures to promote domestic manufacturing, including earmarking 75% of the defence capital procurement budget for Indian companies.
DefConnect 2024 also featured a technology showcase by iDEX-Defence Innovation Organisation (DIO), a panel discussion on ‘Women as Drivers of Change’, and the announcement of a rolling iDEX internship program to foster young talent in defence innovation.
The event marked strategic partnerships under the iDEX Investors Hub (IIH) to facilitate increased investment in defence start-ups, aiming to bolster the defence innovation ecosystem and support the scaling of ventures in the sector.
The launch of the ADITI Scheme and other initiatives at DefConnect 2024 underlines the government’s commitment to enhancing India’s defence capabilities through innovation and self-reliance, paving the way for India to become a global leader in defence technology and innovation.
