Rajnath Singh condoles victims of Delhi blast
New Delhi, Nov 11: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday expressed deep sorrow over the loss of lives in the car blast that occurred near Delhi’s Red Fort on Monday evening and assured that the government’s investigative agencies were conducting a “swift and thorough inquiry” into the incident.
He said those responsible for the tragedy “will be brought to justice and will not be spared under any circumstances.”
Speaking at the inaugural session of the Delhi Defence Dialogue 2025, organised by the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (MP-IDSA), Rajnath Singh began his address by extending condolences to the bereaved families. “The findings of the investigation will soon be made public,” he said, adding that all agencies were working in close coordination to uncover the conspiracy behind the blast.
‘FROM CONSUMER TO CREATOR OF TECHNOLOGY’
Turning to the theme of the conference “Harnessing New Age Technology for Defence Capability Development,” the Defence Minister said India must move from being a consumer of technology to a creator and exporter of innovation. “For India to move from a consumer to a creator of technology, we must not only acquire innovations, but also build the conditions where niche products thrive, through sound processes, agile institutions and a spirit of collaboration that unites the soldier, the scientist, the start-up and the strategist,” Rajnath Singh said. He called for establishing systems and ecosystems that make the creation and adoption of new technology “natural, swift and self-sustaining.” If India’s foundations are strong, he said, “every new technological wave will not overwhelm us — it will propel us.”
Emphasising the need to absorb and adapt to disruptive technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Quantum Computing and Swarm Tech, Rajnath Singh said the true test of technological advancement lies in its application. “The power of technology is not limited to devices or algorithms; it lies in how it redefines every process and decision that contributes to national security,” he said. High-speed data links, AI-driven algorithms, quantum computing and autonomous systems, he added, would achieve little without robust internal processes and human capacity to apply them effectively. Much of defence readiness, Rajnath Singh observed, “rests on invisible technologies — secure data architectures, encrypted networks, automated maintenance systems, and interoperable databases.”
EXPANDING INDIA’S DEFENCE INNOVATION BASE
Highlighting government efforts to make India a technology leader, Rajnath Singh said the defence industrial base was expanding with renewed confidence and synergy among the DRDO, Armed Forces, industry and academia. “India can no longer be content with catching up to global innovation; we must nurture a culture that rewards ideas, tolerates failures and celebrates breakthroughs,” he said. He lauded initiatives such as the Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) and the Technology Development Fund (TDF) for nurturing a new generation of innovators, from start-ups and MSMEs to major industries, who are driving Aatmanirbharta and the vision of Viksit Bharat.
The Defence Minister also stressed extending self-reliance to “digital sovereignty”, ensuring control over algorithms, data and chips. “True strategic autonomy will come only when our code is as indigenous as our hardware,” he remarked. He said India is encouraging secure, indigenous software stacks, trusted semiconductor supply chains, and AI models trained on Indian data. Amid the excitement around machines and algorithms, Singh reminded that technology must amplify, not replace, human judgment, and urged investment in the ethical, psychological and legal dimensions of emerging technologies. Calling technology both a “force multiplier and resource optimiser,” Singh said data analytics must be leveraged in the capital procurement process to improve decision-making. He directed that life-cycle costs be assessed at the inception stage of every procurement proposal to ensure sustainable use of resources. He urged the Armed Forces to import not just equipment but also best global practices in training, logistics and management. “It is far better to import best practices than to import the best equipment,” he said, adding that MP-IDSA can play a vital role in adapting these practices to India’s context.
