NEW DELHI, Nov. 4 -- Military preparedness in the 21st century is linked to technological and industrial capabilities, defence minister Rajnath Singh said on Tuesday, stressing the need for local production of critical equipment and technologies and building the capacity to sustain them. "True self-reliance is achieved by possessing the knowledge to design a defence platform, the technology to manufacture it, intellectual property to improve it and the capability to sustain it throughout its lifecycle," Singh said. He was addressing the third edition of the Delhi Defence Dialogue at Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (MP-IDSA) Atmanirbharta, he said, must be viewed as a quest for technological sovereignty as self-reliance ensures that the nation's critical defence requirements are not held hostage to external dependencies. The ability to innovate rapidly, manufacture at scale and replenish capabilities has become as important as possessing advanced weapon systems, Singh said. "Opportunities for private participation in programmes such as the advanced medium combat aircraft, propulsion systems, ATAGS (advanced towed artillery gun system), artillery ammunition and shipbuilding will accelerate indigenous development, expand manufacturing capacity and strengthen India's position in the global defence market." Earlier in the day, Singh chaired a meeting of the consultative committee of the defence ministry on 'Modernisation of Indian Defence Forces' in Jaisalmer. The meeting covered capability development and force modernisation, jointness and integration, indigenous manufacturing, emerging and disruptive technologies, and defence research and innovation....