NEW DELHI: Laying emphasis on “nation’s defence” Air Marshal AP Singh on Friday said that the push to Atma Nirbharta (self reliance) in defence cannot be at the cost of it.
The Vice-Chief of the Air Staff (VCAS), Air Marshal AP Singh enunciated the example of adversaries, the rate at which they are growing, the rate at which they are imbibing technologies “We have a long gap to catch up with.” And added this is something we need to look at, the nation as a whole.
Speaking at an event organised by the Centre for Air Power Studies (CAPS) in Delhi, Air Marshal AP Singh said “..Atma nirbharta is what we are riding on... But this atma nirbharta cannot be at the cost of the nation’s defence.”
“Nation’s defence comes first and foremost and if Indian Air Force or Indian forces have to ride on this atma nirbharta, it is only possible if everyone - from DRDO, to DPSUs, to the private industry hold hands and take us to that path and don’t let us deviate it...”
He further mentioned that defending the country is not only the job of men in uniforms and said “So, my humble request to each one of us here, including we in uniform, is that let’s put a system in place where we are helping each other out in achieving the overall goal, which are our goals.”
Air Marshal Singh also asserted that the weapons that the forces are talking about should be developed and manufactured in the country and at a faster rate.
Along with Research and Development (R&D) agencies which are looking at developing new technologies, the industry has to be ready to absorb these new technologies.