PM-SETU Will Help Turn Demographic Strength into Demographic Dividend: Rajnath Singh

The PM-SETU (Prime Minister's Science, Engineering and Technology Upgradation) Industry Conclave, addressed by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in Lucknow, represents a significant milestone in India's journey toward self-reliance in defence manufacturing. This initiative emerges from the broader Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan launched in May 2020, which identified defence production as a critical sector for reducing import dependence. Historically, India has been one of the world's largest defence importers, with the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) consistently ranking it among the top arms importers globally. The government's strategic pivot began with the Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) 2016, evolved through DPP 2020, and culminated in the Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) 2020, which introduced categories like 'Buy (Indian-IDDM)' to prioritize indigenous design, development, and manufacturing. The PM-SETU initiative specifically targets the demographic dividend challenge. With approximately 65% of India's population under 35 years of age (Census 2011 projections), the country possesses a massive youth bulge. However, converting this demographic strength into a demographic dividend requires skill development, innovation ecosystems, and employment generation in high-technology sectors. PM-SETU aims to bridge the gap between academia, research institutions (like DRDO labs), startups, and defence public sector undertakings (DPSUs) such as HAL, BEL, and BDL. The Defence Innovation Organisation (DIO), established in 2017 under the Department of Defence Production, and the iDEX (Innovations for Defence Excellence) framework launched in 2018, serve as foundational pillars for this collaboration. Constitutionally, this initiative aligns with Article 51A(h) which mandates developing scientific temper, humanism, and the spirit of inquiry and reform as a fundamental duty. It also resonates with Directive Principles under Article 39(b) and (c) regarding distribution of material resources for common good and prevention of concentration of wealth. The defence manufacturing push connects to the 'Make in India' programme launched in 2014, which identified defence as one of 25 focus sectors. Recent policy measures include the positive indigenisation lists (four lists notified between 2021-2023) banning import of 411+ items, the corporatisation of the Ordnance Factory Board into seven new DPSUs in October 2021, and the notification of the Defence Production and Export Promotion Policy (DPEPP) 2020 targeting ₹1,75,000 crore turnover in aerospace and defence by 2025, including ₹35,000 crore exports. The economic significance is profound. Defence manufacturing has high multiplier effects - it drives R&D, creates high-skilled jobs, develops dual-use technologies, and strengthens the MSME ecosystem. India's defence exports reached a record ₹21,083 crore in FY 2023-24, growing over 30x from ₹686 crore in 2013-14. Politically, self-reliance enhances strategic autonomy, reducing vulnerability to supply disruptions and sanctions. Internationally, it positions India as a net security provider in the Indo-Pacific and a reliable defence partner for Global South countries. The Lucknow conclave, held in Uttar Pradesh - which hosts the UP Defence Industrial Corridor (one of two such corridors alongside Tamil Nadu) - signals the government's commitment to regional development through defence industrialization. Future implications include deeper private sector participation (currently ~20% of defence production), expansion of the iDEX Prime and iDEX Sprint frameworks, greater focus on critical technologies like AI, quantum computing, directed energy weapons, and hypersonics under the Technology Development Fund (TDF), and potential integration with the National Research Foundation (NRF) announced in Budget 2023-24. The success of PM-SETU will ultimately be measured by its ability to create a self-sustaining innovation ecosystem where Indian IPR-driven products dominate the domestic market and compete globally.