Talking about the interest from the smaller business as well, Dr Das said that he is pleasant surprise at the role of startups. He observed that mid-segment businesses like SMEs and startups have a strong desire to enter the defense sector, and investors are also showing interest.
Das finds it remarkable that young, 25-year-old entrepreneurs are coming forward with innovative ideas.
“We are pleasantly surprised to see 25-year-olds come up to us, take the challenge and realise the idea. They are going beyond our expectations,” he said.
These startups, he said, is helping the DRDO to build a new level of trust in indigenously designed and developed products. Despite a core dependency that every country has on some imports, Dr Das said that the overall concept remains 100% Indian.
“End-to-end, products are designed, developed and delivered by Indian companies,” he concluded, highlighting the nation’s push toward self-reliance in defense technology.
