Pune, 12 September 2025: The Southern Command of the Indian Army on Friday inaugurated the Defence Tech 2025 Seminar STRIDE (Synergy of Technology, Research, Industry & Defence Ecosystem) at the RSAMI, Pune.
The four-day event, themed “Atmanirbharta through Partnership – Industry, Academia, Armed Forces”, brings together key stakeholders from the Army, defence industry, research organisations, and academic institutions to speed up indigenous defence technology development.
Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh, attending as the Chief Guest along with Southern Command chief Lt. Gen. Dhiraj Seth and senior Army leadership, called the seminar a crucial step toward strengthening India’s defence ecosystem. He said India’s growing economy must be matched by technological and defence capabilities, noting that modern warfare increasingly depends on “technological superiority and industrial strength.”
Singh highlighted that India signed record defence contracts worth ₹2 lakh crore last year, with 81% of the 2024–25 defence capital spending done within the country, a sign of progress under the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative. He added that every ₹1 crore spent on defence capital investment generates a 2.45-times impact on GDP, showing its importance for economic growth.
Pushing for quicker decision-making, Singh said the Defence Ministry is rewriting key procurement manuals to make processes more “dynamic and outcome-focused,” as delays of two years in finalising contracts are no longer acceptable in an era of rapid technological change.
He also urged the private sector and start-ups to invest more in research and development, capital equipment, and skilled manpower. India’s defence ecosystem currently includes 16 Defence PSUs, about 400 licensed companies, and nearly 14,000 MSMEs, many of them based in Pune. Singh said private investment and foreign participation, including 100% FDI, are reshaping the sector and breaking old monopolies in areas like munitions.
India’s defence exports, he noted, have grown 30 times in the past 15 years, reflecting the country’s rising competitiveness in the global market. The seminar will feature multiple sessions on emerging technologies, dual-use innovation, academia-industry linkages, and start-up engagement aimed at strengthening self-reliance in defence production.
Singh concluded by saying the gathering of academia, DRDO, industry, and the Armed Forces in Pune marks an important step in making India’s defence industry a “bedrock for wider industrial modernisation.”
