Ministry of Defense spends highest on Defense R&D in last five years

By: Yash Gupte

DRDO has also launched various schemes not only to attract the young scientist/ Engineers but also students from schools and colleges in order to generate interest about defense technologies among them. Apart from this, the DRDO has also launched various apprenticeships and fellowships for young minds in order to help them boost their research experience.

In the recent years, there has been a paradigm shift in the allocation of funds for the research in defense sector. The department of defense research and development (DDRD) and the Defense research and development organization (DRDO) have taken sincere efforts to boost India’s presence in the defense R&D and attract maximum experts and young enthusiasts. The government has realized the importance of research and development required in the defense sector and has tried its best to attract enthusiastic young minds towards R&D in Defense. In his  reply to the Loksabha , Rakhsa Rajya Mantri i.e. MOS for Defense Ajay Bhatt revealed information about the government’s efforts of promoting research in the defense sector.

Ministry of Defense has launched several schemes for attracting young minds towards R&D in defense. In order to entice young scientists and engineers to work for DRDO, the organization has established five DRDO Young Scientists Laboratories (DYSLs). These labs offer an environment for research and development in fields of advanced technology and emerging engineering, including artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, cognitive technologies, asymmetric technologies, and smart materials, as well as adequate freedom for young scientists to demonstrate their abilities. DRDO has also launched various schemes not only to attract the young scientist/ Engineers but also students from schools and colleges in order to generate interest about defense technologies among them. Apart from this, the DRDO has also launched various apprenticeships and fellowships for young minds in order to help them boost their research experience. Directorate of Technology development fund has been created under the Technology Development Scheme. The programme promotes public and private sector participation, particularly MSMEs and start-ups, in order to develop an ecosystem for increasing cutting edge technological capacity for defense applications. TDF contributes towards shaping an enabling environment for nurturing innovation and boosting the development of indigenous defense manufacturing ecosystem. The Department of Defense Research and Development’s (DDRD) expenditure has been increased rapidly in the last five years.

The chart below shows the expenditure incurred by DDRD in last five years on R&D in defense.

Source: Press Information Bureau

The above chart indicates that the DDRD has spent maximum on R&D in the year 2021-22. This tends to boost the R&D activities and this will ultimately prove beneficial for the country’s defense and security. R&D in defense is a pre-requisite for successful manufacturing of defense equipment and establishment of defense infrastructure. The increase in expenditure on R&D comes at a time when India is facing challenges from China in Ladakh and Arunachal Sector.  In addition to the existing programmes, DRDO has promulgated new patent policy to facilitate Indian industries to get free access to use DRDO patents. This will provide an access to Indian industries to the innovations carried out by DRDO to further boost up their R&D and develop new technologies. These steps taken by the government are very important towards realizing the dream of Atmanirbhar Bharat. The year 2021 also witnessed the highest amount sanctioned for various R&D projects at DRDO. 2021 witnessed allocation of Rs. 19978.90 crore for R&D projects at DRDO which was around four times higher than the previous year (Rs 4031.7 crore in 2021). This shows that India is on a path of progress in the field of Defense R&D.