North Tech Symposium was organized under the aegis of HQ Northern Command at Udhampur. The Symposium was conducted over two days on 06 and 07 May 2022. A seminar with theme “Self Reliance in Defence through Atmanirbharta and Infusion of New Technologies to meet Operational Challenges of Northern Command” was held on 06 May 2022. The seminar was inaugurated by Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi, AVSM, GOC-in-C and representatives from Indian Defence Industry, Defence Research and Development Organisation, Defence Public Sector Undertakings and Academia participated and presented their thoughts, ideas and state-of-the-art defence technologies under one umbrella. On the second day of the symposium, exhibition was organised wherein 162 companies from Indian defence industry including MSMEs, DRDO, DPSU, etc participated and exhibited their products. In addition, 42 innovative solutions by Army establishments towards enhancement of combat potential of the Army were also on display. The exhibition was inaugurated by Lt Gen BS Raju, UYSM, AVSM, YSM, Vice Chief of Army Staff. The symposium saw active participation from IDS, Army HQ, HQ ARTRAC, other Commands, Category ‘A’ establishments, Officers from HQ Northern Command, its subordinate formations and members from the Media. This interactive platform for knowledge diffusion through Joint Army – Industry participation was an important step in the direction of the Government’s initiative of “Make in India”.
During the Seminar on first day, the participants from Army and Industry discussed the policy and procedures for expeditious procurement, Raksha Atmanirbharta initiatives by Indian Army, DRDO and Defence Public Sector Undertakings, how can private sector contribute towards Surveillance System, Weapon Sights, Drones and Counter Drone System and Miscellaneous Technologies like 3D printing.
The exhibition at Dhar Road showcased the prowess made by Indian Defence Industry. Lt Gen BS Raju delivered the key note address during the exhibition and interacted with all the vendors and manufacturers and complimented them to continue to strive towards the vision of “Atmanirbhar Bharat”.
The Symposium served to showcase cutting edge technologies and innovative products providing solutions to some of the complex challenges faced by the security forces in Northern Command and also acted as an ideal platform for mutual exchange of ideas between the domestic Defence Industry and the Army. The technologies and products on display covered a wide canvas, the prominent ones being surveillance and situational awareness, tactical mobility, firepower, force protection, communications, combat medical facility, robotics and simulators.
The symposium was a huge success and Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi, AVSM lauded the initiative and innovations of all the vendors. The General Officer expressed his conviction that the plethora of technologies available indigenously can further boost the “Atmanirbhar Bharat” project of the nation. The spirit of Atmanirbharta demands that Research & Development, the Domestic Defence Industry and Army have work in a synchronized manner to realise the nation’s vision.
