Hyderabad: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday said India must stop merely using advanced technologies and grow into a developer and innovator in critical fields. India should also aim to lead globally in these areas, he said.
Rajnath Singh spoke virtually at the inaugural session of NDE 2026, the 36th Annual Conference on Non-Destructive Evaluation and Enabling Technologies, in Hyderabad. The session also marked the start of AeroNDT 2026, the 15th International Symposium on NDT in Aerospace. Singh called for stronger home-grown Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) capability to improve the country’s defence preparedness.
The Indian Society for Non-Destructive Testing (ISNT) is holding the three-day conclave at the HITEX Exhibition Centre from November 15 to 17. Over 2,000 professionals, researchers, industry experts and students are taking part. More than 100 domestic and international exhibitors have also joined.
Rajnath Singh joined from New Delhi and released the conference souvenir. Meanwhile, Telangana Minister for IT and Industries D. Sridhar Babu attended as Guest of Honour. He unveiled the digital edition of NDE 2026.
Rajnath Singh calls defence self-reliance a strategic necessity
Rajnath Singh said self-reliance, or Aatmanirbharta, in defence is a strategic necessity and not merely an economic goal. He urged domestic innovation across specialised sensors, advanced inspection technologies, evaluation equipment and the software that goes with them.
“Developing domestic capabilities in these areas is essential for reducing technological dependencies and securing critical defence supply chains,” he said.
The Defence Minister also stressed the need to standardise quality assurance practices. He called for reliable testing across the whole defence industrial ecosystem. This covers Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs), private manufacturers, start-ups and MSMEs, he said.