Nainital (Haldwani) [India], March 20 (ANI): Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Friday conducted an on-site inspection of the event venue in Haldwani along with officials in view of the preparations for the proposed visit of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh scheduled for Saturday.

Dhami also held a review meeting with divisional and district officials at the Circuit House in Haldwani to assess the preparations for the Union Defence Minister's proposed visit.

Meanwhile, Singh on Thursday inaugurated a two-day National Defence Industrial Conclave in Delhi. During the event, he called upon innovators and MSMEs to work towards self-reliance. Referring to the current global scenario, he said that India especially needs to become self-reliant in the field of drones.

The Defence Minister said, 'Today, when the world is witnessing conflicts between Russia-Ukraine and Iran-Israel, it is clear that drones and counter-drone technologies will play a very significant role in future warfare. Today, there is a need to create such a drone manufacturing ecosystem in India in which we are completely self-reliant. This self-reliance is important not only at the product level but also at the component level. That means the drone's mould, software, engine and batteries are all made in India.'

Referring to China, the Defence Minister said that, 'This task is not easy because in most of the countries where drones are manufactured, many critical components are imported from another country, especially from China. For India's defence preparedness and strategic autonomy, India must become completely self-reliant in drone manufacturing.'

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also inaugurated the Defence Industry Exhibition on the occasion. He said, 'After seeing many innovations at the exhibition, it was evident that MSMEs and innovators are making a significant contribution toward making the country self-reliant in defence.'

'Today, with more than 100 challenges, the 14th edition of the Defence India Startup Challenge has been launched. Considering the success of DISC so far, more than 100 challenges are being presented for the first time by Defence Public Sector Undertakings. I extend best wishes to all innovators for the new edition of DISC.' He added. (ANI)