New Delhi, Oct 4 (IANS): Developing new technologies indigenously is the need of the hour, said Defence Minister Rajnath Singh pointing out that it is extremely important not just for strengthening national security but also ensuring overall development of the country.

Singh's statement came during felicitation ceremony of the winners of 'Dare to Dream 2.0' Contest of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in New Delhi.

Singh gave away awards to 40 winners - 22 in Individual category and 18 in Startup category. He also launched 'Dare to Dream 3.0' to promote innovators & startups and provide a platform to the young ignited minds in the country.

Dare to Dream is DRDO's pan-India contest to promote Indian academicians, individuals and startups to develop defence and aerospace technologies and systems.

DRDO provides technical and financial support to the winners for realisation of their ideas under the Technology Development Fund (TDF) scheme.

Singh also gave away DRDO Young Scientists awards for the year 2019. Sixteen DRDO scientists, under the age of 35 years, were awarded for their outstanding contribution in areas of their expertise.

During the occasion, Singh said they reflect the energy, enthusiasm and commitment of the youth of the country to create something new.

He exuded confidence that the winners in the fields of innovation, design and development will inspire young minds and create path-breaking innovation in future.

The 'Dare to Dream' challenge, he said, represents the vision and mission of the government as also the mandate of DRDO.

Singh reiterated the government's resolve to build a strong and self-reliant 'New India' which, he said, can only be achieved through a collaborative effort.

He termed 'effort' and not just 'desire' as the key for an individual, society and the nation to achieve success. Saying that India is one of the oldest countries in experience & culture and the youngest with about 60 per cent of the young population, he encouraged the youth to observe, learn & create new innovations and play their part in taking the country to greater heights.

Pointing out that global security concerns, border disputes and maritime affairs have forced the world to focus on military modernisation, Singh reaffirmed the government's commitment to modernise the Armed Forces and equip them with latest machinery to deal with any challenge.

He described the power of the youth as the hope for the country and called upon the young ignited minds to help the government in achieving the objective of 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat'.

"Developing new technologies indigenously is the need of the hour. Our vision of 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat' is to ensure that advanced technologies are developed domestically. It is extremely important not just for strengthening national security but also ensuring overall development of the country," said Singh.

Describing private sector participation as crucial to achieving 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat', Singh stated that the government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has taken a series of reform steps to increase the participation of private industry in the defence sector which has created a suitable growth environment and provided a big boost to indigenous defence capabilities.

Singh commended DRDO Young scientists' lab and Advance technology Centres for working in futuristic technologies such as nano technology, quantum computing, artificial intelligence, unmanned and robotic technologies.

Terming it as the new dimension of 'New India', he called for increased R&D efforts in such futuristic technologies. He stressed on the need to develop dual use technologies which can be beneficial for both Armed Forces personnel and civilians.

He urged all the stakeholders to focus on research and development in order to provide state-of-the-art equipment to the Armed Forces.

This will help in establishing the country's identity in the international market and achieving the vision of 'Make in India, make for the world', he said.

Singh exhorted the Industry representatives to take full advantage of the policies of the government and create an organic synergy with DRDO and other government agencies. Saying that Transfer of Technology from DRDO is bearing fruit, he hoped that in the times to come the industry would develop in-house R&D systems on its own.