- Calls for creating a culture that encourages R&D, based on skilled human resource
- Rajnath Singh asks industry to set up a transparent & independent body to evaluate their products
- Dedicates to the nation 90 BRO infrastructure projects, built at a cost of over Rs 2,900 crore, across 11 States/Union Territories
- Nechiphu Tunnel in Arunachal Pradesh, two airfields in West Bengal, two helipads, 22 roads & 63 bridges among the projects launched
NE NEWS SERVICE
JAMMU, SEPT 12
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, on Tuesday, urged domestic defence manufacturers to invest more in research & development (R&D) for India to keep up pace with the continuously-evolving world.
Speaking at the ‘North Tech Symposium-2023’ organised by SIDM in Jammu. https://t.co/ymnEROwBrr
— Rajnath Singh (मोदी का परिवार) (@rajnathsingh) September 12, 2023
Speaking at the North Tech Symposium, jointly organised by the Northern Command of the Indian Army, Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers (SIDM) and IIT, Jammu, Singh pointed out that although R&D is a risky affair as it calls for out-of-the-box thinking and does not always offer desired results, it is one of the basic elements for the development of any country.
“India is passing through a transitional phase. There is nothing wrong in acquiring a technology through imitation or transfer, but we cannot become a developed nation on these grounds alone. We need to file our own patents, for which a lot of investment in R&D is needed. Capital investment in R&D may reduce today’s profits, but it will prove to be beneficial to the industry and the country in the long term.”
He made an appeal to industry partners to focus on creating a culture that encourages R&D, based on skilled human resources, and suggested linking the work of institutes such as IITs, IIMs and IISCs with the defence sector in order to create an R&D ecosystem in the field.
The defence minister recommended hiring top managers, legal and financial experts from within the country and abroad to create a culture conducive of R&D. He noted that to hire top talents, it is important to create a good work culture and positive work environment, and for this, industries need to adopt new HR standards.
“We cannot run our workforce in the 21st century on the basis of the HR policy of 19th century. Today, the quality of work is more important than the number of hours worked. Focus should be on intellect and innovation. A work culture needs to be developed where there is a concept of senior and junior; not superior and inferior. There is a need to involve women in R&D with more effectiveness,” he said.
Rajnath dedicates to the nation 90 BRO infrastructure projects
These are important projects which will go a long way in enhancing infrastructure in the border areas! https://t.co/3Q3AoiRuRO
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 12, 2023
Rajnath Singh has dedicated to the nation 90 infrastructure projects of Border Roads Organisation (BRO), worth over Rs 2,900 crore, spread across 11 States/Union Territories. The projects were inaugurated by the Raksha Mantri at an event in Jammu on Tuesday. These include Nechiphu Tunnel in Arunachal Pradesh; two airfields in West Bengal; two helipads; 22 roads and 63 bridges. Of these 90 projects, 36 are in Arunachal Pradesh; 26 in Ladakh; 11 in Jammu & Kashmir; five in Mizoram; three in Himachal Pradesh; two each in Sikkim, Uttarakhand & West Bengal and one each in Nagaland, Rajasthan and Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
The BRO has completed the construction of these strategically-important projects in record time; most of them in a single working season using state-of-the-art technology. In his address, the Raksha Mantri described the BRO as ‘bro (brother)’ of the Armed Forces, asserting that, through its infrastructure projects, BRO is not only securing India’s borders, but also playing a key role in the socio-economic development of the far-flung areas.
Rajnath Singh credited the timely completion of these projects to the hard work & dedication of its personnel as well as the commitment of the government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “Together with BRO, we are ensuring that the nation is secure and border areas are developed. Timely completion of infrastructure projects in far-flung areas has now become the new normal of New India,” he said.
