Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) chairman Dr G Satheesh Reddy, on 16 July, the Centre wants to turn India into a global drone hub.
Speaking at the inauguration of Aero Innovation and Skill Centre (AISC) in Bengaluru, Reddy said: “As far as the drone sector is concerned, India is working on its application in defence and civilian sectors. We need to hand-hold the youngsters to boost innovations and the AISC is a way forward. The government is clear that everything should be made in the country and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call is very clear that we should make world-class products so that the world looks up to us. Today, in the defence and aerospace sectors, there are products which we earlier used to import but are now being made here.”
A part of the Aeronautical Society of India (AeSI), AISC Bengaluru will facilitate aspiring entrepreneurs and start-ups to conduct research and development in aerospace sectors. Around 15-20 start-ups will be part of the AISC as of now. The start-ups and entrepreneurs will be mentored by experts from the DRDO, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), officials said.
The DRDO chairman added that most IIT graduates used to go abroad for higher education and job opportunities even a decade ago, but around 75 per cent graduates are now opting to stay back in India and work in several sectors, such as aerospace and defence technology, among others.
