New Delhi, Aug 24 (IANS): Responding to the clarion call of 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat', the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) said on Monday that 108 systems and subsystems would be developed in India, thus strengthening the indigenous defence ecosystem.

A DRDO delegation has met Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to apprise him about the 108 systems and subsystems which have been identified for designing and development by the Indian industry only.

This initiative will pave the way for the Indian defence industry to develop many technologies towards building an 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat'.

DRDO will also provide support to the industries for design, development and testing of these systems on requirement basis. All the requirements of these systems by research and development establishments, armed forces and other security agencies can be met through development contracts or production orders on suitable Indian industry.

This will allow the DRDO to focus on design and development of critical and advanced technologies and systems.

DRDO has been partnering with the industry for realisation of its systems. Collaborating with DRDO in the development of major weapon systems, the Indian defence industry has matured to a stage where it can develop systems on its own.

The Indian industry has progressed from a 'build to print' partner to 'build to specification' partner.

The present industry base for DRDO consists of 1800 MSMEs along with DPSUs, Ordnance Factories and large scale industries. DRDO has already taken major initiatives through various policies to involve the Indian industry as Development-cum-Production Partners (DcPP), offering its technology to the industry at nominal cost and providing free access to its patents.

This initiative will support the fast growing Indian defence industrial ecosystem and will help the industry contribute towards 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat' in a big way.