Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh will preside over a day-long ‘Chintan Shivir’ of Ministry of Defence (MoD) in New Delhi on July 06, 2023. It may be recalled that, last month, Department of Defence (DoD), Department of Defence Production (DDP), Department of Military Affairs (DMA), Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare (DESW) and Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) organised separate brainstorming sessions, during which they discussed critical issues & ways to enhance their productivity. The departments had identified an array of themes, on which eminent subject matter experts addressed the officers and shared their insights.

The Raksha Mantri will review the takeaways of the brainstorming sessions and discuss ways to implement the recommendations borne out of these deliberations. Raksha Rajya Mantri Shri Ajay Bhatt, Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, Chief of the Army Staff General Manoj Pande, Defence Secretary Shri Giridhar Aramane and other senior civil & military officials of MoD will also attend the day-long meeting.

The themes, which were covered during the sessions, are as follows:

Department of Defence

• Cyber Security Challenges to the National Security
• Comprehensive approach to National Security
• Performance Audit
• Sainik School Education System
• Capacity Building in Defence Acquisitions

Department of Defence Production

• Enhancing Production and Defence Exports
• Increasing Aatmanirbharta: Road ahead for indigenisation
• Industrial Ecosystem and Skilled Workforce
• Enhancing Level Playing Field
• Quality Reforms

Department of Military Affairs

• Integrating & optimising Human Resource aspects
• Training & Operational issues towards achieving greater synergy
• Modernisation & capability augmentation of Armed Forces in the realms of strategic domain
• Measures to identify & abolish colonial practices and obsolete laws.
• Further incorporate the country’s own ethos and practices in functioning of the Armed Forces.

Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare

• ‘Leveraging SPARSH for better pension services and other welfare measures for veterans’
• ‘Resettlement of veterans by improving employability and promotion of entrepreneurship for start of micro enterprises by veterans’
• ‘Improvement in the health services of the veterans’

Defence Research & Development Organisation

• DRDO - Academia Partnership: Opportunities & Challenges.
• Integrating Industry with Defence R&D
• Catalysing Defence R&D within Industry and Academia

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ABB/Savvy