Keeping armed forces ready at all times our top priority: Rajnath Singh

Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. Photo/AFP

Noting economic, political, and strategic equations are changing all over the world and major world powers are in a tussle, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on March 17 said that India's defence needs have also increased and constant modernisation of the armed forces is the need of the hour.

In his address after inauguration of a seven-storeyed Flight Control System (FCS) integration facility at the Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE), a Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) laboratory, he said, "Keeping ourselves ready is our top priority and we are constantly working to enhance our strategic capabilities. Be it technology or products, services or facilities, their advanced and faster development is the need for the hour."

Lauding the DRDO for playing a crucial role in strengthening national security, he said that the FCS is a unique project not just in the country but in the entire world and is an embodiment of the new energy of new India. "This energy is of technology, commitment, institutional collaboration among public sector, private sector and academia and above all, of 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat' as envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi," he said.

The complex will also provide simulator training to the pilots of combat aircraft, and Rajnath Singh described this as one of the most important components of the complex. The simulators provide an opportunity to learn by making mistakes without the possibility of any kinds of losses, he said. Commending DRDO and L&T for developing hybrid technology, he expressed confidence that it will increase the productivity of construction process, promote optimum utilisation of resources, reduce losses due to wastage, and will be helpful in speedy completion of projects.

In hybrid construction technology, the column and beam elements of the structural frame are built with steel plates, and the columns are concrete filled steel hollow cross sections. The slabs are partially precast and all these structural members are assembled at site. Concreting is done simultaneously to make the structure monolithically cast, thus eliminating any dry joints as in case of precast construction.

In this case of concrete-filled hollow sections, the steel provides a permanent framework to the concrete core which reduces the time and effort drastically as compared to conventional construction. Rajnath Singh described the hybrid technology as an important milestone for the construction sector and hoped that in the coming times, India will become one of the leading countries in the field of construction technology.

He expressed hope that although the mandate of DRDO is to develop futuristic technologies, its spin-off benefits will be available to the civilian sector as well. "Our traditional construction industry is generally considered to be labour intensive, high risk and low on productivity. But, the way DRDO has constructed the FCS complex through hybrid technology, our infrastructure projects will be completed in a low cost and time-bound manner in the times to come," he said.

He called upon the DRDO to continue exploring new possibilities in construction technology and contribute to nation building through new innovations. The FCS facility is a building with the plinth area of 1.3 lakh square feet. The construction has been completed in 45 days, setting a unique record of completing a permanent building of seven stories with hybrid construction technology for the first time in the history of construction industry in the country.

Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, Defence R&D Secretary and DRDO Chairman, Dr G. Satheesh Reddy and other senior officers of DRDO and state government were also present during the inauguration.

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