18-Jul-2022: PM addresses NIIO Seminar 'Swavalamban'

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi addressed the NIIO (Naval Innovation and Indigenisation Organisation) Seminar 'Swavalamban' today.

Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister said that the goal of self-reliance in the Indian defence forces is very important for the India of the 21st century. Organizing the first 'Swavalamban' (self-reliance) seminar for a self-reliant Navy is an important step in this direction.

The Prime Minister said that the resolution of creating 75 indigenous technologies in this period of making new resolutions for India is inspiring in itself and he expressed the confidence that it will be fulfilled very soon. Still, he said that this is kind of the first step. “We have to work to continuously increase the number of indigenous technologies. Your goal should be that when India celebrates 100 years of its independence, at that time our Navy should be at an unprecedented height”, he added.

Referring to the importance of oceans and coasts in India’s economy, the Prime Minister said that the role of the Indian Navy is continuously increasing and therefore self-reliance of the Navy is of critical importance.

Recalling the glorious maritime tradition of the country, the Prime Minister said that the defence sector of India used to be very strong even before independence. At the time of independence, there were 18 ordnance factories in the country, where many types of military equipment including artillery guns, were made in the country. India was an important supplier of defence equipment in World War II. “Our howitzers, machine guns made at the Ishapur Rifle Factory, were considered the best. We used to export a lot. But then what happened that at one point in time we became the world's biggest importer in this field?”, he asked. He said like the countries who capitalized on the challenge of the World War to emerge as the big arms exporters, India too turned adversity into opportunity during the Corona period and made strides in economy, manufacturing and science. He lamented the fact that during the initial decades of the Independence, there was no focus on the development of defence production and research and development was severely limited due it being restricted to the government sector. “Innovation is critical and it has to be indigenous. Imported goods can’t be a source of innovation”, he said. He also stressed the need for a change in mindset of attraction for imported goods.

The Prime  Minister said that the self-reliant defence system is critical for the economy and also from the strategic point of view. He said that the country has worked in mission mode to reduce this dependence after 2014.The Prime Minister remarked that the Government has given new strength to our public sector defence companies by organizing them in different sectors. Today we are making sure that we connect our premier institutions like IITs with defence research and innovation. “Learning from the approach of the past decades, today we are developing a new defence ecosystem with the strength of everyone's efforts. Today defence R&D has been opened for the private sector, academia, MSMEs and start-ups”, he added. This has led to a new speed in long pending defence projects and the Prime Minister expressed the confidence that the wait for commissioning of the first indigenous aircraft carrier will be over soon.

In the last 8 years, the Prime Minister noted that the Government has not only increased the defence budget, “we have also ensured that this budget is useful in the development of the defence manufacturing ecosystem in the country itself. Today, a large part of the budget earmarked for the purchase of defence equipment is being spent on procurement from Indian companies.” He also complemented the defence forces for preparing a list of 300 items that will not be imported.

In the last 4-5 years, the Prime Minister said that the defence imports have come down by about 21 per cent. Today we are moving fast from the biggest defence importer to a big exporter. Last year 13 thousand crore rupees worth of defence export was done with more than 70 percent of which being from the private sector, he pointed out

The Prime Minister noted that now the threats to national security have also become widespread, the methods of warfare are also changing. Earlier we used to imagine our defence only till land, sea and sky. Now the circle is moving towards space, moving towards cyberspace, moving towards economic, social space. In such a scenario, the Prime Minister said that we have to move anticipating the future challenges and change ourselves accordingly. Self-reliance will help the country a great deal in this regard, he said.

The Prime Minister warned against the new danger. He said “we also have to intensify our war against forces challenging India's self-confidence, our self-reliance. As India is establishing itself on the global stage, there are constant attacks through misinformation, disinformation and false publicity, etc. Keeping faith, the forces that are harming India's interests, whether in the country or abroad, have to be thwarted in  their every effort. National defence is no longer limited to borders, but is much broader. Therefore it is equally necessary to make every citizen aware about it.” Therefore, he continued “as we are moving forward with the ‘whole of the government’ approach for a self-reliant India, Similarly, the ‘whole of the Nation’ approach is the need of the hour for the defence of the nation.” “This collective national consciousness of various people of India is the strong basis of security and prosperity”, the Prime Minister concluded.

NIIO Seminar 'Swavalamban'

A key pillar of Aatmanirbhar Bharat is attaining self-reliance in the Defence Sector. To further this endeavour, during the programme, the Prime Minister unveiled ‘SPRINT Challenges’, which are aimed at giving a boost to the usage of indigenous technology in the Indian Navy.  As a part of the 'Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav', NIIO, in conjunction with the Defence Innovation Organisation (DIO), aims at inducting at least 75 new indigenous technologies/products into the Indian Navy. This collaborative project is named SPRINT (Supporting Pole-Vaulting in R&D through iDEX, NIIO and TDAC).

The Seminar aims to engage Indian industry and academia towards achieving self-reliance in the Defence sector. The two-day Seminar (18-19 July) will provide a platform for leaders from Industry, Academia, Services and Government to come together on a common platform to ideate and come up with recommendations for the Defence Sector. Sessions dedicated to Innovation, Indigenisation, Armament and Aviation will be held. The second day of the Seminar will witness outreach to the Indian Ocean Region, in line with the government's vision of SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region).

13-Aug-2020: Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh Launches Naval Innovation and Indigenisation Organisation (NIIO)

Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh launched the Naval Innovation and Indigenisation Organisation (NIIO) through an online webinar. Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Shri Yogi Adityanath and other dignitaries were also present at the event.

The NIIO puts in place dedicated structures for the end users to interact with academia and industry towards fostering innovation and indigenisation for self-reliance in defence in keeping with the vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat.

The NIIO is a three-tiered organisation. Naval Technology Acceleration Council (N-TAC) will bring together the twin aspects of innovation and indigenisation and provide apex level directives. A working group under the N-TAC will implement the projects. A Technology Development Acceleration Cell (TDAC) has also been created for induction of emerging disruptive technology in an accelerated time frame.

The Draft Defence Acquisition Policy 2020 (DAP 20) envisages Service Headquarters establishing an Innovation & Indigenisation Organisation within existing resources. Indian Navy already has a functional Directorate of Indigenisation (DoI) and the new structures created will build upon the ongoing indigenisation initiatives, as well as focus on innovation.

During the launch event, the Indian Navy signed Memorandums Of Understanding (MoUs) with:-

1. Uttar Pradesh Expressway Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA);
2. Raksha Shakti University (RSU), Gujarat;
3. Maker Village, Kochi; and
4. Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers (SIDM).

An online discussion forum for engaging domestic industry and academic institutes has been created in partnership with RSU and was launched during the webinar.

A compendium of Indian Navy’s Indigenisation perspective plans titled ‘SWAVLAMBAN’ was also released on the occasion.

4-Jul-2022: DGDE develops AI-based software to detect unauthorised constructions & encroachments on defence land

Centre of Excellence on Satellite & Unmanned Remote Vehicle Initiative (CoE-SURVEI) has developed an Artificial Intelligence-based software which can automatically detect change on ground, including unauthorised constructions and encroachments in a time series using Satellite Imagery. The CoE-SURVEI, established by Directorate General Defence Estates at National Institute of Defence Estates Management, leverages latest technologies in survey viz. satellite imagery, drone imagery and geo-spatial tools for effective land management and urban planning. The CoE was inaugurated by Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh on December 16, 2021.

This Change Detection Software has been developed by CoE-SURVEI in collaboration with knowledge partner Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Visakhapatnam. Presently, the tool uses National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) Cartosat-3 imagery with trained software. The changes are detected by analysing satellite imagery of different time periods.

The application has been used by CoE in 62 Cantonments and comparison done with ground position in recent period. The tool enables Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of Cantonment Boards to identify changes on ground that are of permanent nature and then enables them to check if such changes are authorised or without due sanction of the competent authority. It leads the CEO to know if action has been taken in time against unauthorised constructions or encroachments and if not, suitable legal action can be taken without delay.

The software facilitates better control on unauthorised activities, ensures accountability of field staff and helps in reducing corrupt practices. It was known that out of 1,133 unauthorised changes detected, the action was already taken in 570 cases. In the remaining 563 cases, wherever legal action is warranted the same has been initiated by the Cantonment Boards after changes were detected by the tool.

The change detection tool has resulted in effective defence land management. Efforts are on to further fine tune and upgrade it to achieve higher accuracy. The CoE has now partnered with a couple of other reputed organisations for improved AI interface with change detection tool so as to enhance the functionality of change detection software. This may specifically benefit DGDE and Services in management of defence land located in remote and inhospitable terrains.

The CoE-SURVEI has also developed tools for vacant land analysis and 3D imagery analysis of hill cantonments for land management. By leveraging technology, it is trying to ensure optimum use of defence land through Geographic Information System (GIS)-based land management systems.