New Delhi (Staff Correspondent), November 29: The southern command of the Indian army is a crucial component of India’s security and sovereignty. This, regardless of how lethally armed our units are down south, is often reminded by the visits of the chief of army staff to the southern command headquarters in Pune.
On November 27, General Upendra Dwivedi, the chief of army staff, visited headquarters southern command and was briefed on the operational preparedness of the formation.
But the visit was not a usual one where operational preparedness is measured and steps to heighten the same are decided over back to back high level meetings.
On Tuesday, the chief also witnessed the Southern Star Idea Innovation Display, which highlighted innovative projects and indigenous research and development initiatives developed in partnership with Pune based industries.
Not just this but he also interacted with innovators and industry representatives, praising their initiatives and stressing the importance of innovation in tackling modern military challenges.
Further, Dwivedi acknowledged the progressive mind set demonstrated at the event and reinforced the Indian Army’s commitment to harnessing technology and supporting self reliance (Atma Nirbharta) to propel the nation towards its vision of Viksit Bharat.
But why such display of achieving self reliance was crucial and how does it being done in the southern command amplifies these measures put together?
The Southern Command of the Indian Army is the oldest and the largest command in the Indian Army, and it covers a significant portion of the country’s landmass.
When we talk of landmass, the Southern Command covers 45% of India, including the states of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh.
Even historically, the Southern Command has been active since 1895 and has witnessed significant events in a number of major conflicts, including the 1961 liberation of Goa and the 1965 and 1971 Indo-Pakistani Wars.
Besides having historical and geographical importance the Southern Command is also responsible for maintaining 75 stations of the Army, Navy, Air Force, and the Coast Guard. It also has time and again played important roles in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, and has been contributing to national infrastructure.
Going one step further than its defined roles the command recently declared 2047 as its “Net Zero Carbon Year”, which aims at decarbonize the command’s energy portfolios and contribute to a healthier quality of life for the people living in and around its military stations.
With such mammoth prominence and essentiality, when the largest and the oldest command of the army displays the eagerness to bolster country’s innovation, research and development in defence sector and attempts to achieve atma nirbharta, it becomes vital for the other streams of the Indian defence services to follow the same trail.
This does not only set an example domestically but even on the international pedestal when an army command of this enormousness is seen outrageously strengthening ties with its private players, encouraging innovation and modernization in defence sector, it sends out a message loud and clear enough for India’s enemy countries and at the same time elevates India’s stature among its peers who also are a competitor in the race for defence innovation.
This, however, is not the only occasion when India has joined hands with private players to boost its defence infrastructure.
Last month, the first indigenously designed and constructed multi-purpose vessel (MPV) by the L&T for the Indian Navy was launched at the L&T shipyard, Kattupalli in Tamil Nadu.
The MVP is to be utilized for enhancing Indian Navy’s Bluewater capabilities, providing the forward deployed units the necessary mobility, flexibility and versatility in demonstrating poise, presence and reach to deliver the desired effects at the place and time of its choice.
This is one of the two multi-purpose vessel project being constructed by L&T Shipyard for the Indian Navy.
In another mark of success in underlining the significance and contribution that the start-ups and Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) are capable of offering in development of advanced defence technologies, an autonomous surface vessel, Matangi, recently successfully completed the first leg of its journey.
The vessel, developed by a firm Sagar Defence Engineering, a Pune based defence start up, navigated in fully autonomous mode without any human intervention.
Such developments are clearly indicative of the encouragement for the private sector to enter defence innovation. The defence ministry has also asked innovators to step forward with transformative ideas in defence applications. The motive is to make India an innovation and technology hub and one of the strongest countries in the world in the field of defence modernisation.
The government has not only invited private players to just participate but have also encouraged them to instead take a lead in the defence sector, at the same time assuring government’s full support and assistance.
While the government expects that the involvement of private sectors will ensure that a technology does not become outdated and at the same time continued research and development in cutting edge technology will give Indian defence line-up an edge over its enemies, private sectors also are enjoying full government support both financially and logistically.
