Vice Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal A P Singh, emphasised on Friday that ‘atmanirbharata’ (self-reliance) is more than just a buzzword. He stressed that all stakeholders must wholeheartedly work towards self-reliance while emphasising that self-reliance should not come at the expense of the nation’s defence. Speaking at a CAPS seminar in New Delhi, he reaffirmed that the nation’s defence is the top priority, and it is not only the responsibility of the military but also organisations such as DRDO, DPSUs and the private industry. The IAF Vice Chief urged the DRDO, defence PSUs, and private sector to prioritise innovative technologies to enhance the country’s defence capabilities and capacity.
“Atmanirbharta cannot be achieved at the cost of our national security. At the rate at which our adversaries are building their numbers while imbibing new technologies, the capability gap is continuously growing. I exhort DRDO, DPSUs, and the private industry to focus on innovative technologies, out-of-the-box solutions, and increasing capability and capacity,” he stressed.
Advocating for ‘atmanirbharta‘ in defence, he highlighted the potential of DRDO, private industries, and others to enhance the armed forces’ capabilities in radars, communications, and numerous other areas.
He reiterated that ‘Atmanirbharata’ is “not just a buzzword.” It is a crucial concept that all stakeholders must wholeheartedly embrace to ensure that technologies and weapons are developed and manufactured in India. This is to prevent reliance on an external agency that could change its alliance or halt the supply of weapons to our country when the need arises.
Air Marshal Singh emphasised that the “biggest lesson we have learned from today’s geopolitics is to be self-reliant.” As they say, there is no permanent enemy or permanent friend; there is only permanent interest.
In his address, the VCAS pitched for fostering greater ‘atmanirbharta’ but with a rider.
“Atmanirbharta is what we are riding on. The majority of contracts are with Indian partners and the Indian industry. But, this atmanirbharta cannot be at the cost of the nation’s defence. Nation’s defence comes first and foremost,” he said.
The VCAS also flagged that “the rate at which we are getting our equipment at the moment is too low”, and there was a need to increase it. “When we look at our adversaries, the rate at which they are growing, the rate at which they are imbibing these technologies and still growing in numbers. We have a long gap to catch up with, and this gap is widening further. It is something that we need to look at as a whole, and we need to find a solution to this gap that is being built,” he said.
Team BharatShakti
