Rajnath Singh felicitates winners of 'Dare to Dream 2.0' contest of DRDO

New Delhi [India], October 4 : Defence Minister Rajnath Singh felicitated the winners of 'Dare to Dream 2.0' contest of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in New Delhi on Monday.
The Union Minister gave away awards to 40 winners of which 22 were in the individual category and 18 were in the startup category, read the release by the defence ministry.
He also launched 'Dare to Dream 3.0' to promote innovators and startups and provide a platform for the young ignited minds in the country.
Dare to Dream is DRDO's pan-India contest to promote Indian academicians, individuals and startups to develop emerging defence and aerospace technologies/systems. DRDO provides technical and financial support to the winners for the realisation of their ideas under the Technology Development Fund (TDF) scheme.
Rajnath Singh also gave away DRDO Young Scientists awards for the year 2019. Sixteen DRDO scientists, under the age of 35 years, were awarded for their outstanding contribution in areas of their expertise.
Congratulating the winners of 'Dare to Dream' and 'DRDO Young Scientists' awards, Rajnath Singh said, they reflect the energy, enthusiasm and commitment of the youth of the country to create something new. He exuded confidence that the winners in the fields of innovation, design and development will inspire young minds and create path-breaking innovation in future. The 'Dare to Dream' challenge, he said and added that they represent the vision and mission of the government as also the mandate of DRDO.
Singh reiterated the government's resolve to build a strong and self-reliant 'New India' which, he said, can only be achieved through a collaborative effort. He termed 'effort' and not just 'desire' as the key for an individual, society and the nation to achieve success. Saying that India is one of the oldest countries in experience and culture and the youngest with about 60 per cent of the young population, he encouraged the youth to observe, learn and create new innovations and play their part in taking the country to greater heights.
Pointing out that global security concerns, border disputes and maritime affairs have forced the world to focus on military modernisation, Rajnath Singh reaffirmed the government's commitment to modernise the Armed Forces and equip them with the latest machinery to deal with any challenge. He described the power of the youth as the hope for the country and called upon the young ignited minds to help the government in achieving the objective of 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat'.
"Developing new technologies indigenously is the need of the hour. Our vision of 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat' is to ensure that advanced technologies are developed domestically. It is extremely important not just for strengthening national security but also ensuring the overall development of the country," said Singh.
Describing private sector participation as crucial to achieving 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat', Rajnath Singh stated that the central government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has taken a series of reform steps to increase the participation of private industry in the defence sector which has created a suitable growth environment and provided a big boost to indigenous defence capabilities.
The Union Minister asserted that due to these measures, the number of contracts being awarded to the defence industry has increased; new MSMEs and startups have emerged and more employment opportunities created.
"We are not only meeting our domestic needs but are also exporting technology and equipment to foreign countries," he added.
Rajnath Singh lauded DRDO for playing a central role in the government's efforts of achieving self-reliance in defence manufacturing and contributing immensely in enhancing the capacity and capability of the Armed Forces even in the rapidly changing geopolitical situation.
He said, "The recent contracts and induction of Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Mk-1A, Main Battle Tank Arjun Mk-1A and Medium Range Surface to Air Missile system are some noteworthy contributions."
"DRDO is not only trying to match the capabilities of technologically advanced countries but is also equally engaged in innovation of new technologies. The new generation programmes of DRDO will upgrade our Armed Forces in future as well," Union Minister said.
On this occasion, three products/systems indigenously developed by DRDO were also handed over to the Armed Forces.
The two-day annual DRDO Directors' Conclave 2021, which began on October 03, 2021, concluded today. The theme of the conclave is 'Redesigning the processes to meet the national aspirations'.