NewzVille Desk
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh participated as the chief guest at the ‘Raksha Navachar Samvaad: Interaction with iDEX Startups’, prior to the inauguration of the National Conference at Vigyan Bhawan on October 07, 2025.
Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, Secretary of the DDR&D & Chairman DRDO Dr Samir V Kamat, Secretary (Defence Production) Sanjeev Kumar along with senior officials from the MoD, DDP, innovators, startups, MSMEs, industry leaders, Armed Forces representatives and officials from various defence PSUs were also present on the occasion.
Singh urged innovators to think beyond existing solutions and develop technologies that redefine warfare. “We must not remain imitators or followers in technology we must become the creators and standard-setters for the world,” he added.
Rajnath Singh stated that defence capital acquisitions from domestic sources have increased from Rs. 74,000 crore in 2021-22 to Rs. 1.2 lakh crore in 2024-25. He termed this shift as “not merely a statistical change but a change in mindset from dependence to confidence.”
He also highlighted that under the Government’s Public Procurement Policy, at least 25% of annual procurement is reserved for Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs), and over 350 items have been earmarked exclusively for them. “India’s self-reliance in defence has moved from being a slogan to becoming a movement. From policy to practice and from innovation to impact this transformation has been made possible by our innovators, startups, and young entrepreneurs,” he said.
Rajnath Singh encouraged startups to set higher benchmarks, underlining that India has more than 100 Unicorns today, but none in the defence sector, calling upon them to change that.
He stated that when iDEX was launched, the idea was simple yet powerful to connect the talent of India’s youth with the technological needs of the Armed Forces. “Today, in just seven years, more than 650 iDEX winners have emerged, and prototype procurements worth over Rs. 3,000 crore have been ensured. This marks a revolution in India’s defence innovation landscape,” he added.
The event organised by iDEX under the aegis of Department of Defence Production (DDP), MoD also featured an exhibition showcasing cutting-edge defence innovations developed under iDEX and ADITI, where the Raksha Mantri interacted with the innovators and appreciated their technological breakthroughs.
