Rajnath Singh Unveils Major Push for Defence Innovation at Swavlamban 2025

The Raksha Mantri stressed that in a rapidly changing world shaped by new security challenges, technological disruption, and shifting geopolitical equations, India cannot afford a reactive posture.

India marked a significant leap toward self-reliance in defence as Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh addressed start-ups, MSMEs, defence innovators, academia, industry partners, and venture capitalists at the fourth edition of the Indian Navy’s Swavlamban seminar, held in New Delhi on November 25, 2025. Positioned as one of India’s most influential platforms for defence innovation, the event showcased a powerful collaboration between the Navy and the nation’s expanding innovation ecosystem.

Shri Rajnath Singh declared that India is “entering a golden era of defence innovation,” crediting the nation’s young entrepreneurs and innovators for pushing boundaries and accelerating India’s transformation from a defence importer to a global exporter of technology. Their efforts, he said, have enabled India to evolve from a buyer to a creator, builder, and strategic contributor.

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A Call for Proactive Preparedness in a Shifting Geopolitical Landscape

The Raksha Mantri stressed that in a rapidly changing world shaped by new security challenges, technological disruption, and shifting geopolitical equations, India cannot afford a reactive posture. He urged the country’s innovators to remain ahead of the curve, developing solutions that not only meet present needs but prepare India for tomorrow’s threats.

He highlighted that India’s indigenisation movement is not merely a policy-driven effort but a testament to the collective hard work of innovators, industry leaders, scientific institutions, and the Armed Forces. With this momentum, India is moving steadily towards becoming a technology exporter of global relevance.

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Profit-Plus Approach: Aligning Innovation with National Responsibility

In a significant message to private industry, Shri Rajnath Singh called for a profit-plus mindset — a philosophy combining commercial success with nationalism, duty, and strategic accountability. He urged private manufacturers to expand their role in defence production, design, and innovation, aiming for a target where the private sector contributes over 50% to defence manufacturing in the coming years.

He pointed out that long-term financial burdens associated with foreign-origin defence equipment — particularly maintenance, repairs, spare parts, and lifecycle support — highlight the need for a strong domestic supply chain. Strengthening local manufacturing of components and sub-systems, he said, would enhance reliability, reduce costs, and bolster strategic autonomy.

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Identifying Future Technologies: Industry Encouraged to Lead the Way

The Raksha Mantri encouraged industry leaders to guide the Government on identifying disruptive defence platforms, breakthrough innovations, and next-generation technologies. He assured full support of the Government and defence institutions in overcoming challenges, saying, “India is changing, defence is changing, geopolitics is changing. We too must change our thinking.”

He reiterated his belief that the coming years will define defence innovation, indigenous design, advanced manufacturing, and strategic independence as the core drivers of national development.

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Indian Navy’s Expanding Role in Innovation Through iDEX

Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi highlighted the phenomenal growth of Swavlamban from just 800 participants at its inception to over 3,000 in the previous year. The Indian Navy alone owns 35% of all 565 iDEX challenges announced so far, demonstrating its central role in driving defence innovation.

Admiral Tripathi noted that solutions developed by start-ups and MSMEs under iDEX have boosted the Navy’s operational capability while creating opportunities for direct procurement across the Army, Air Force, Coast Guard, and Central Armed Police Forces. This marks the emergence of a whole-of-defence innovation ecosystem that integrates all branches of India’s security apparatus.

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Swavlamban 4.0: A Showcase of Cutting-Edge Indian Defence Technologies

The event featured a large-scale exhibition of emerging technologies, with near 80 MSMEs and start-ups displaying advanced prototypes, including:

• AI-driven autonomous systems

• Advanced communication technologies

• Quantum computing applications

• Novel stealth and signature management solutions

• Smart ordnance and weapon subsystems

Many showcased products are ready for deployment and will soon be integrated into the Navy’s operational fleet. Shri Rajnath Singh interacted with innovators, examining prototypes and discussing future deployment possibilities.

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Pivotal MoU for Indigenous Armament Systems

A significant milestone of the event was the signing of a tripartite MoU between the Indian Navy, IIT Madras, and Apollo Micro Systems. Focused on indigenous armament development, the partnership combines:

• IIT Madras’ strong R&D capabilities

• The Navy’s end-user expertise and operational insight

• Apollo Micro Systems’ manufacturing strength

This collaboration aims to accelerate the development of next-generation, high-precision armament systems entirely built in India.

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SARATHI App: A One-Stop Platform for Naval Armament Oversight

Shri Rajnath Singh launched SARATHI — the System for Armament Review, Analysis, Tracking, Handling, and Indigenisation. Designed by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (CDAC), Chennai, SARATHI supports:

• End-to-end tracking of ammunition

• Quality assurance

• Lifecycle analysis from development to disposal

• Centralised data-driven decision-making

The tool is expected to significantly enhance transparency, oversight, and efficiency in naval armament management.

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Innovathon: Empowering the Next Generation of Defence Innovators

A major highlight of Swavlamban 4.0 was the launch of Innovathon, a national-level hackathon aimed at students, researchers, developers, and defence technologists. Key challenges include:

• Development of a swarm algorithm

• A scalable, cross-platform network traffic encryption solution

• A satellite-aware maritime route intelligence system

Innovathon seeks to attract the brightest minds to address India’s real-world maritime and operational defence challenges.

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Strategic Dialogue, Knowledge Sharing, and Policy Roadmaps

The seminar included:

• An interactive session with Naval and Defence Attachés

• Presentations by the Technology Development Acceleration Cell on progress in indigenisation

• A fireside chat on Innovation and Self-Reliance, exploring pathways to strengthen defence entrepreneurship

These discussions underscored the growing global interest in India’s defence innovation ecosystem.

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Felicitations, Key Document Releases, and High-Level Participation

Rajnath Singh felicitated 10 iDEX challenge winners, acknowledging their role in shaping India’s future defence technologies. Several important documents were released, including:

• Compendium of Indian Naval Technological Challenges & Problem Statements

• Swavlamban 4.0 Document

• Armament Indigenisation Compendium

The event witnessed participation from key defence leaders, including Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, Defence Production Secretary Shri Sanjeev Kumar, and DRDO Chairman Dr. Samir V Kamat.

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A Future Driven by Innovation, Collaboration, and Self-Reliance

Swavlamban 2025 reaffirmed India’s commitment to strengthening its defence capabilities through innovation-led indigenisation. With the combined efforts of start-ups, MSMEs, academia, industry giants, and the Armed Forces, India is poised to emerge as a global centre of defence technology.

The Raksha Mantri concluded that this is “not the time to retreat, but to forge a path forward,” calling upon all stakeholders to work with unity of vision, national commitment, and a drive to push India’s defence ecosystem into a future defined by resilience, capability, and strategic independence.