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, 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.
