Pallam Raju calls upon private industry to participate in defence sector

New Delhi, Aug 20(ANI): Minister of State for Defence MM Pallam Raju on Thursday called upon the private industry in IT and Engineering Design for meeting the needs of the Defence Forces.

Inaugurating a two-day seminar on 'Emerging Technologies for Sub-Conventional Conflict and Homeland Security', Raju said the Government plans to meet upto 70 per cent of India's Defence purchases from indigenous sources.

"The terrorists, militants and insurgents are acquiring advanced weapons and communication equipment. Their methods of warfare are becoming more sophisticated, more complex and more systematically planned. Their objectives are becoming more ambitious, with the intention of inflicting maximum damage," Raju said.

"Therefore, the task ahead is formidable. Our defence forces and paramilitary forces need to be further equipped, adequately trained and properly supported. Armaments and munitions, state-of-the-art equipment, and support systems in telecommunications, surveillance and other areas should be proportionate to the threat perception," he added.

Raju further said that in order to counter the growing threat, India needs to work on a number of fronts simultaneously.

"Leveraging emerging technologies is one of the critical aspects in this area. The world has made rapid strides in technology development in conducting warfare as well as in communications and transport," Raju said.

"India has evident capacities in information technology and engineering design in the private sector, through which it has been able to successfully capture the space of outsourcing and software services," he added.

He also informed that the country would spend around 10 billion dollars in the next seven years on homeland security alone.

"Internal security is a matter that is engaging us very closely and is high on our priority agenda. After the horrific attacks on Mumbai last November which killed 173 people, we have taken up the challenge to modernize and upgrade our security forces in a comprehensive manner," Raju said. (ANI)