New Delhi, Nov. 3 -- Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday said military preparedness in the 21st century is closely linked to technological and industrial capabilities, emphasising the need for indigenous production of critical equipment and technologies and the capacity to sustain them independently.

Addressing the third edition of the Delhi Defence Dialogue at Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (MP-IDSA) on November 3, he emphasised that 'Aatmanirbharta' must be viewed as a quest for technological sovereignty, as self-reliance means ensuring that the nation's critical defence requirements are not held hostage to external dependencies. True self-reliance is achieved by possessing the knowledge to design a d...