Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday launched the Acing Development of Innovative Technologies with iDEX (ADITI) scheme with a corpus of Rs 750 crore for startups. The scheme will focus on innovations in critical and strategic defence technologies from startups through grants of up to Rs 25 crore for research, development, and innovation in defence technology.
“The scheme will nurture the innovation of youth, and help the country leap forward in the field of technology,” Singh said at an event.
The scheme operational for the period 2023-24 to 2025-26 falls under the iDEX (Innovations for Defence Excellence) framework of the Department of Defence Production, Ministry of Defence to develop around 30 deep-tech critical and strategic technologies in the proposed timeframe.
It also envisages to create a ‘Technology Watch Tool’ to bridge the gap between the expectations and requirements of the modern Armed Forces and the capabilities of the defence innovation ecosystem, the ministry said in a statement.
In the first edition of ADITI, 17 challenges – Indian Army (3), Indian Navy (5), Indian Air Force (5) and Defence Space Agency (4) – to develop the latest technologies have been launched.
“Under offset, we are acquiring technology from various countries through Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). But, like this, we cannot obtain the best technologies as countries never share their latest innovations. This is why there is a need to develop the required technologies on our own. For this, we need research and development (R&D). There are a number of conditions that need to be fulfilled to establish a productive R&D ecosystem,” said Singh.
Importantly, the government has reserved 75 per cent of the defence capital acquisition budget, which amounts to around Rs 1 lakh crore, for purchases from local companies including MSMEs.
Singh in November last year at an event had informed that the government had released five positive indigenisation lists, under which 509 equipment were identified for manufacturing in India. In addition, four positive indigenisation lists for Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs) were also promulgated, under which 4,666 items were identified, that will be manufactured within the country.