Defence Tech Developed By DRDO Can Also Be Used To Tackle Civilian Emergencies: MoS Defence Subhash Bhamre

Minister of State for Defence Subhash Bhamre has said that technology developed by defence research and development organisation (DRDO) can also be used to meet civilian needs, reports Press Trust of India (PTI).

“There is a dire need to link safety with security and the technology developed by the DRDO for defence purposes can also be used to meet civilian needs to deal with instances of fire fighting more effectively,” said Bhamre while speaking at the ‘Fire Safety Technologies and Services Workshop’ organised at DRDO headquarters.

Commenting on the rising vacancies and lack of manpower in fire safety services of the country, D K Shami, Directorate General of Fire Services, Civil Defence and Home Guards, stated: “There is a 65 per cent shortage of fire stations. We need a manpower of 6 lakh and have 60,000. There is also 83 per cent shortage of appliances. We need India-made equipment and that is where the research and development of DRDO comes into picture."

He further requested DRDO to develop India-specific standards to reduce the country's dependence on NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) standards. “We are very poor in implementing latest technology. It is a long drawn process to procure any technology. We need cooperation from all sectors for it,” he added.

Make In India

Emphasising the importance of Prime Minister Modi’s Make In India Initiative and the need to indigenously develop high-end products, Chairman of DRDO G Satheesh Reddy said "Let's not import any fire fighting equipment but export such items."

Also Read: Indian Coast Guard’s New Eyes In The Sky: DRDO To Develop Multi Mission Maritime Aircraft