Raksha Mantri calls for ‘Aatmanirbharta 2.0’, next leap in defence self-reliance, at SWAVLAMBAN 2026
Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh has called for ‘Aatmanirbharta 2.0’ in the defence sector, with emphasis on the development of top-end, state-of-the-art technologies, strengthening Research & Development (R&D), and building resilient supply chains to reduce import dependence and achieve technological superiority, thereby contributing to the vision of Viksit Bharat@2047.
He was addressing the fifth edition of SWAVLAMBAN, the Indian Navy’s Naval Innovation and Indigenisation Seminar in New Delhi on October 26, 2026. He emphasised the need to build on the gains of the first phase of self-reliance achieved under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, stating that defence innovators with futuristic vision and scientific discipline could play the role of ‘impact players’ in pursuing more challenging technological goals.
Highlighting the significant strides made by the nation towards Aatmanirbharta in defence over the last decade, Shri Rajnath Singh asserted that the progress achieved so far has created a strong foundation for the next phase, which must focus on advanced technologies and objectives that are considered difficult to achieve. He underlined the need to indigenously manufacture products that are cost-effective, operationally superior and globally competitive.
Shri Rajnath Singh highlighted the R&D culture in countries such as Israel, South Korea and the United States where innovation, he said, is embraced as a way of life, with failure being viewed as an opportunity to learn. He stressed the need to foster a deep-rooted culture of research and innovation in India through stronger industry-academia collaboration, greater encouragement in educational institutions and increased opportunities for the youth to pursue careers in R&D.
Speaking on the occasion, Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS) Admiral Krishna Swaminathan highlighted the SWAVLAMBAN’s growth since 2022, with Navy-specific iDEX challenges increasing from 20 to 229, accounting for approximately 35% of all iDEX challenges across the defence sector.
Secretary (Defence Production) Sanjeev Kumar stated that SWAVLAMBAN 5.0 marks another important milestone in the nation’s journey towards defence innovation and indigenisation, as it brings together all the stakeholders of the defence ecosystem on a common platform to deliberate on emerging technologies, address evolving operational requirements and explore new opportunities for indigenous capacity development.
Chief of Defence Staff General NS Raja Subramani, Chief of the Army Staff General Dhiraj Seth, Vice Chief of the Air Staff Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, CISC Air Marshal Tejinder Singh, Vice Chief of the Naval Staff Vice Admiral Ajay Kochhar, Vice President, Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers (SIDM) Neeraj Gupta, serving and retired officials, industry & academia representatives and iDEX winners were present on the occasion.
