\Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh during the inauguration of the National Defence Industries Conclave (NDIC) at Zorawar Hall, Manekshaw Centre, New Delhi, on Thursday.
| Photo Credit:
ANI
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said that innovation in defence has picked up pace as 548 contracts have been signed since last more than eight years. Of these, 58 prototypes have received clearance for procurement, valued at around ₹3,853 crore. Besides that, 45 procurement contracts have already been signed, worth nearly ₹2,326 crore, Singh said.
The Minister was addressing MSMEs, start-ups, winners of Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX), Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs), private defence companies, innovators, policymakers, and academia during the inaugural session of the two-day National Defence Industries Conclave.
He described iDEX and ADITI (Acing Development of Innovative Technologies with iDEX) as game-changer initiatives, through which start-ups, innovators, and MSMEs are provided with the opportunity to develop solutions to meet the specific requirements of the defence forces.
As of February 2026, approximately 676 start-ups, MSMEs, and individual innovators have joined the defence innovation ecosystem since the inception of iDEX in 2018, he said.
“548 contracts have been signed; and 566 challenges launched. Of these, 58 prototypes have received clearance for procurement, valued at around ₹3,853 crore. Furthermore, 45 procurement contracts have already been signed, worth nearly ₹2,326 crore. These figures demonstrate that innovation is gradually materialising into tangible products and technologies, and the role played by our start-ups & MSMEs in this transformation is steadily gaining strength,” Singh said.
Notwithstanding the contribution of big players, he stated that MSMEs are today actively engaged in fields such as Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, Automation, and Advanced Manufacturing, representing a monumental and positive transformation.
The Defence Minister also emphasised over the need to build a drone production ecosystem to ensure strategic autonomy, enhance defence preparedness and make the country self-reliant in view of the present geopolitical uncertainties.
“India must work in a mission mode to emerge as a global hub of indigenous drone manufacturing in the next few years,” he stressed.
As part of the inaugural session, the senior NDA Minister launched the 14th edition of Defence India Start-up Challenge (DISC-14) and the 4th edition of ADITI challenges under the iDEX framework. A total of 107 problem statements, including 82 under DISC-14 and 25 under ADITI Challenges 4.0, from the Defence Forces, Indian Coast Guard and Defence Space Agency were launched to promote breakthrough innovations in various domains.
A new initiative featuring 101 innovation challenges from DPSUs was also launched by Singh to encourage design-led innovation by MSMEs and start-ups. These challenges are funded by DPSUs, which will also provide mentorship, testing facilities and opportunities for potential integration into their supply chains to the winning start-ups.
Published on March 19, 2026