DEFENCE Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday said that if India achieves advancement in technology, it can become a superpower. He said this while addressing students and researchers here at the Defence Institute of Advanced Technology (DIAT), a deemed university of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

Singh said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is committed to taking the country on the path of progress in research and innovation. “Some initiatives have been started by the defence ministry to make progress in research and innovation through collective efforts from Armed Forces, industries and academia and it can happen only through mutual understanding and by sharing knowledge and best practices,” he said. Singh said that the Defence Ministry has created a platform called “iDEX” to engage and attract new talent and to get field experience and inputs from the armed forces personnel from the field as it has got security importance.

He added that the Centre has allocated Rs 1,000 cr for iDEX. Besides that the Government has also allocated Rs 500 crore to push research and innovation in aerospace and defence.