Swavlamban 2.0 Seminar: India’s Defence Minister Charts a Path to Self-Reliance in Defence - News

Indian Navy held the second Naval Innovation and Indigenisation (NIIO) Seminar, ‘Swavlamban 2023’ in New Delhi. At the symposium, Rajnath Singh, Minister of Defence of India, presented several groundbreaking efforts to boost ‘Aatmanirbharta’ or self-reliance in India’s defence and innovation industries. Many important announcements were made at the event. The fifth Positive Indigenisation List, including 98 entries, was released. This list emphasizes import substitution of components and large systems, giving domestic industry players research, development, and manufacturing opportunities.
Singh also inaugurated 76 innovation challenges under the 10th Defence India Start-up Challenges (DISC 10) & DISC 10 PRIME across the Armed Forces, Indian Coast Guard, and Border Roads Organisation. 
Two INDUS X challenges were created with the US Department of Defense to increase strategic technology cooperation between India and the US. Through the iDEX Innovators Hub, NIIO secured partnerships to promote venture capital injection into the defence ecosystem. 
The ‘INVenT’ initiative promotes defensive innovation. The State Bank of India (SBI) and the Indian Navy launched the SBI NAVeCash Card enabling seamless offline transactions at sea, aligning with Digital India and cashless financial activities. These projects demonstrate India’s dedication to import reduction and defense self-sufficiency.