Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], February 28 : Cutting-edge and frontier technologies are adding new dimensions of lethality and unpredictability in modern warfare, said Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday in Hyderabad.
He was speaking to students during the National Science Day celebration at Gachibowli Stadium here. Over 30,000 students from schools and engineering colleges attended the event.
"The changing formats of warfare in recent years, too, have an increasingly higher technological component, as compared to the past. Critical, cutting-edge, and frontier technologies have added new dimensions of lethality and unpredictability to modern warfare. Unconventional ways of warfare are adding dangerous dimensions to the ways of warfare in earlier days," Singh said.
He added that war is increasingly moving from hardware-oriented to software.
"If we want to remain strong and secure in adverse situations, we need a youth trained in these technologies who can provide solutions to the critical technological challenges. From this point of view, education in modern science and technology is even more important for the safety and security of the nation," he said.
The Defence Minister said he was aware that education is a concurrent subject under the Indian Constitution. He added that it is the joint responsibility of the centre and the states to ensure that future generations get the best education and that no child is left without a good education.
Singh further stated that the generations ahead are not only future-ready but also globally ready. This onerous task of raising young generations to be future-ready and globally ready must be a joint effort, a national effort, and nothing less than that, he added.
"Globally, new technological breakthroughs are on the horizon, and we have to take a lead in transformative technologies like Artificial Intelligence, quantum computing, machine learning, clean-tech, and many more," the Defence Minister added.
Singh said the government is committed to providing our students with an internationally competitive scientific infrastructure. The country needs younger generations to inculcate the scientific temper and excel in frontier technologies.
"With concerted efforts, India is today the leader in digital payment infrastructure and UPI transactions. There is no country in the world matching the level of UPI transaction being done in India," he said, adding that they are fully committed to harnessing modern technology for the welfare of the people.
Singh highlighted the New Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which aims to transform science education in India by encouraging creativity, critical thinking and innovation, saying that this year's theme of National Science Day reflects the same approach when it focuses on empowering Indian youth for global leadership through science and innovation.
He added that it is in line with the objective of the National Education Policy to encourage students to develop a scientific temper and an attitude of research and innovation.
On the occasion, Singh inaugurated an exhibition titled 'Vigyan Vaibhav'. He was accompanied by Telangana chief minister A Revanth Reddy.