Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar exhorts BEL to lead semiconductor revolution

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar has advocated a three-pronged approach for Navratna Defence PSU Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) to contribute to the government’s mission of realizing the vision of a developed and self-reliant India (Viksit and Atmanirbhar Bharat): lead the semiconductor revolution - from design to manufacture; establish a place for India in the global supply chain by hand-holding start-ups; and three, foster collaborations with academia to drive innovation.

The Vice President was at BEL-Bangalore on January 11 to present R&D Excellence Awards to the young R&D engineers and scientists of BEL. “Your organization must now…..lead the semiconductor revolution from design to manufacture. Think about it, brainstorm, scratch your brains. This is the need of the hour. We need to take initiative. Two, establish India's position in global supply chains through friendshoring…Do it. Nurture domestic startups and indigenous component development. Don't look at just words. Identify startups that require hand-holding. There are enough people who seek to venture,” he said.

Of the overall 500 R&D awardees, Dhankhar presented awards to the Best R&D Division - BEL-Ghaziabad; and key R&D contributors. He also presented awards to Manoj Jain, CMD, BEL (for receiving 7 patents) and Principal Scientist, BEL's Central Research Laboratory- Bangalore, for receiving 14 patents. BEL has a total of 267 patents to its credit.

Underlining the significance of research and technology in achieving the status of a developed nation, Dhankhar stated, “When it comes to our contribution by way of patents, we are contributing not in consequential fields. Our presence is miniscule. We are one sixth of humanity. Our genius allows us a wider participation. And for that, everyone who is in the managerial seat, seat of governance, must take initiative. That is required because we can emerge as an economic powerhouse in the global community only when we subscribe to research and development. The very concept of Atmanirbhar Bharat is rooted in this. Atmanirbharta will come only and only when the world will look at us as a crucible of research and development.”

“The spirit to innovate and engage in research must be instilled in school and college students. We cannot rest on our past laurels. Atmanirbhar Bharat will become a reality only when the world looks at it as a crucible of research and development,” the VP added.

Dhankhar said, “In global perspective, if you look, our patent contribution leaves much to be desired. When it comes to research, the research has to be authentic. The research has to be cutting edge. The research has to be practical. The research must change the ground reality. There is no use having research which goes a little beyond surface sketching. Your research must correlate with the change you seek to bring about.”

Talking about indigenisation, he said, “I have had the occasion to see indigenous components and we are increasingly having equipment that have indigenisation. But look at, are we having engines? Are we having the core material? Are we having that which others want to see from us? Or are we confining it to usual aspects? There's no point in being satisfied that we are indigenous when it comes to nuts and bolts. Our aim has to be 100 per cent.”

Emphasising on the need to promote the spirit of innovation in schools and colleges itself, Dhankhar said that, “The nation abounds in talent. Our young boys and girls are still not aware of the enlarged basket of opportunities. They engage in long queues for government jobs. Thankfully, national education policy has brought about a big change. Change for the better that we are getting distanced from degrees. We are becoming skill-oriented. But what is now greatly fundamental is the spirit to innovate, the spirit to engage in research. That must be inflamed…in school and colleges.”

Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot and other dignitaries were also present on the occasion.