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A two-day national symposium and industry meet on 'Emerging Technologies in Infrastructure Development', organised by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), is underway.
The event, being attended by over 500 delegates with five technical sessions to be held, was inaugurated by Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane here on Thursday. The two-day event, with the participation from the Armed Forces, academia, industry and DRDO, aims to foster dialogue, exchange knowledge and explore innovative approaches to address the challenges and opportunities presented by emerging technologies in infrastructure development. The Defence Secretary emphasised on the need to achieve self-reliance in every field to deal with future challenges. He stated that India is a country with a significant percentage of young population, and self-reliance will ensure gainful employment to them. Underlining the importance of achieving 'Aatmanirbharta' in defence, Giridhar Aramane asserted that there is no trusted trend in geopolitics, and India cannot depend on other countries for its security and safeguarding national interests. He stressed that self-reliance will help the country take giant strides on the path of becoming a developed nation by 2047. He added that while the Armed Forces personnel are being provided with latest weapons/equipment, the private sector should contribute in bolstering the infrastructure set-up in the border areas. He referred to the Vibrant Villages Programme which aims to motivate people to stay in their native locations in border areas, and urged the firms to set up a separate section, within their respective organisations, which focuses on development in far-flung areas. He called upon the industry to walk hand-in-hand with the government, and focus more on the mass production of quality products in a time-bound manner. He also urged the industry to collaborate with the academia to enhance the skills of the workforce, which can help realise a technology into a product. Speaking on the occasion, Secretary, Department of Defence R&D and Chairman DRDO Samir V Kamat emphasised on the importance of infrastructure in the development of a nation. He stated that India is witnessing a phenomenal growth in the field of technical infrastructure, which is required to maintain the country's strategic deterrence. The DRDO Chairman added that technology is evolving rapidly, and the necessity of sustainable infrastructure and green infrastructure is now becoming a part of technical domain. "It's time to explore ways to incorporate the latest technologies in our technical infrastructure. We have made a good start, but work needs to be done to catch up with the best practices," he said. (ANI)
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