India's R&D in Defence DRDO, PSUs and Private Sector
Re: India's R&D in Defence DRDO, PSUs and Private Sector
The details.
On Saturday, the defence budget was increased by 10.95 % to Rs 2.46 lakh crore for the next fiscal as compared to the revised estimates of Rs 2.22 lakh crore for 2014-15 as the government focuses on 'Make in India' to curtail over-dependence on imports.
The defence budget accounts for nearly 13.88 % of the total central government expenditure for the year 2015-16 which is Rs 1,777,477.04 crore. While the government had last year alloted Rs 2.29 lakh crore in the budget, it was revised to Rs 2,22,370 crore. Today's budget represents a growth of about 7.74 % over last year's budget estimates.
However, it is far below what China spends on its defence. China's defence spending was USD 132 billion in 2014-15, a figure that many believe is under reported.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley underlined that defence of "every square inch of our mother land" comes before anything else.
"So far, we have been over dependent on imports, with its attendant unwelcome spin-offs," he said, adding that government has already permitted FDI in defence. He said this was done so that the Indian-controlled entities also become manufacturers of defence equipments, not "only for us, but for export".
Speaking on the steps taken to boost the defence sector, Jaitley said the government is working towards self- sufficiency through the Make in India programme in defence equipment including aircraft and added that the government has been both transparent and quick in making defence equipment related purchase decisions.
"This year too, I have provided adequately for the needs of the armed forces. As against likely expenditure of this year of Rs 2,22,370 crore the budget allocation for 2015-16 is Rs 2,46,727 crore," he said in his budget address. He has earmarked Rs 94,588 crore for military modernisation, which works out to 38 % of the total defence outlay.(Is this large enough for us to be able to use a part towards down payment for Rafale's? )
Incidentally, Rs 12,622 crore meant for modernisation last year remained unspent . Of this, Rs 5,992 crore was diverted towards revenue spending. India is seeking to fast-track its military modernisation and has a number of pending deals ahead like the multi-billion contract for 126 multi-role combat aircraft contract. The other major acquisitions expected to be finalised include the deals for 22 Apache combat choppers, 15 Chinook heavy-lift helicopters and besides new submarines and vessels for the Indian Navy.
In 2010, India overtook China as the world's biggest importer of defence equipment, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. Indian Air Force, Army and Navy have placed orders worth Rs 83,858 crore from 2011 to the last fiscal.
On Saturday, the defence budget was increased by 10.95 % to Rs 2.46 lakh crore for the next fiscal as compared to the revised estimates of Rs 2.22 lakh crore for 2014-15 as the government focuses on 'Make in India' to curtail over-dependence on imports.
The defence budget accounts for nearly 13.88 % of the total central government expenditure for the year 2015-16 which is Rs 1,777,477.04 crore. While the government had last year alloted Rs 2.29 lakh crore in the budget, it was revised to Rs 2,22,370 crore. Today's budget represents a growth of about 7.74 % over last year's budget estimates.
However, it is far below what China spends on its defence. China's defence spending was USD 132 billion in 2014-15, a figure that many believe is under reported.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley underlined that defence of "every square inch of our mother land" comes before anything else.
"So far, we have been over dependent on imports, with its attendant unwelcome spin-offs," he said, adding that government has already permitted FDI in defence. He said this was done so that the Indian-controlled entities also become manufacturers of defence equipments, not "only for us, but for export".
Speaking on the steps taken to boost the defence sector, Jaitley said the government is working towards self- sufficiency through the Make in India programme in defence equipment including aircraft and added that the government has been both transparent and quick in making defence equipment related purchase decisions.
"This year too, I have provided adequately for the needs of the armed forces. As against likely expenditure of this year of Rs 2,22,370 crore the budget allocation for 2015-16 is Rs 2,46,727 crore," he said in his budget address. He has earmarked Rs 94,588 crore for military modernisation, which works out to 38 % of the total defence outlay.(Is this large enough for us to be able to use a part towards down payment for Rafale's? )
Incidentally, Rs 12,622 crore meant for modernisation last year remained unspent . Of this, Rs 5,992 crore was diverted towards revenue spending. India is seeking to fast-track its military modernisation and has a number of pending deals ahead like the multi-billion contract for 126 multi-role combat aircraft contract. The other major acquisitions expected to be finalised include the deals for 22 Apache combat choppers, 15 Chinook heavy-lift helicopters and besides new submarines and vessels for the Indian Navy.
In 2010, India overtook China as the world's biggest importer of defence equipment, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. Indian Air Force, Army and Navy have placed orders worth Rs 83,858 crore from 2011 to the last fiscal.
Re: India's R&D in Defence DRDO, PSUs and Private Sector
What percentage of the budget is the payroll?
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Re: India's R&D in Defence DRDO, PSUs and Private Sector
Well the French seem to be into financing in a big way - they will not only sell to you, but also give you money to buy what they are selling (of course, repayment is a PITA). May be they help injuns too?Vipul wrote:"This year too, I have provided adequately for the needs of the armed forces. As against likely expenditure of this year of Rs 2,22,370 crore the budget allocation for 2015-16 is Rs 2,46,727 crore," he said in his budget address. He has earmarked Rs 94,588 crore for military modernisation, which works out to 38 % of the total defence outlay.(Is this large enough for us to be able to use a part towards down payment for Rafale's? )
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/02/ ... ZN20150228
Re: India's R&D in Defence DRDO, PSUs and Private Sector
BEML rolls out India's biggest dump truck.
http://www.domain-b.com/industry/Mining ... olicy.html
Public sector major mining machinery and equipment manufacturer BEML has rolled out the country's biggest dump truck, the BH205-E that can be used for large scale coal mining applications. BH205-E, an electric drive rear dump truck rolled out from BEML's Mysuru plant, is in consonance with the 'Make in India' policy of the union government, the company stated.
The indigenously designed and developed BH205-E is powered by Tier-II emission compliant modular common rail electronic engine with 2,300 HP, says a company release. ''The AC drive system has been engineered to provide exceptional haul road performance with reduced maintenance'', it added.
The dump truck, which weighs 335 tonnes when fully loaded, but with power steering and short turning radius it can easily be manoeuvered. It has been designed to ensure operator comfort and has an ergonamically designed instrument panel with telescopic tilt steering wheel.
Other features includes large tinted glass windows for good visibility in addition to safety features with provisions for emergency steering, breaking and proximity warning, the release said. ''With the introduction of this new generation dump truck, BEML has touched another milestone in its R&D efforts in achieving self-reliance, enhanced productivity in mining operations in line with 'Make in India' policy and increased coal production, apart from optimising costs'', the release added.
http://www.domain-b.com/industry/Mining ... olicy.html
Public sector major mining machinery and equipment manufacturer BEML has rolled out the country's biggest dump truck, the BH205-E that can be used for large scale coal mining applications. BH205-E, an electric drive rear dump truck rolled out from BEML's Mysuru plant, is in consonance with the 'Make in India' policy of the union government, the company stated.
The indigenously designed and developed BH205-E is powered by Tier-II emission compliant modular common rail electronic engine with 2,300 HP, says a company release. ''The AC drive system has been engineered to provide exceptional haul road performance with reduced maintenance'', it added.
The dump truck, which weighs 335 tonnes when fully loaded, but with power steering and short turning radius it can easily be manoeuvered. It has been designed to ensure operator comfort and has an ergonamically designed instrument panel with telescopic tilt steering wheel.
Other features includes large tinted glass windows for good visibility in addition to safety features with provisions for emergency steering, breaking and proximity warning, the release said. ''With the introduction of this new generation dump truck, BEML has touched another milestone in its R&D efforts in achieving self-reliance, enhanced productivity in mining operations in line with 'Make in India' policy and increased coal production, apart from optimising costs'', the release added.
Re: India's R&D in Defence DRDO, PSUs and Private Sector
Great work by our DM,MP.He has told the DRDO (media reports today,ET) to forget about its multifarious activities like "construction of buildings" and concentrate upon defence products many of which are lagging behind in time and with heavy cost pverruns. The fact that the DRDO is building the new NHQ in the capital instead of the MES is a revelation. Fruit juices,foodstuffs,etc. has also been on the DRDO's list,which could easily be hived off to other relevant scientific establishments.
Re: India's R&D in Defence DRDO, PSUs and Private Sector
Who is providing the engine, transmission and electric drive?Vipul wrote:BEML rolls out India's biggest dump truck.
http://www.domain-b.com/industry/Mining ... olicy.html
Public sector major mining machinery and equipment manufacturer BEML has rolled out the country's biggest dump truck, the BH205-E that can be used for large scale coal mining applications. BH205-E, an electric drive rear dump truck rolled out from BEML's Mysuru plant, is in consonance with the 'Make in India' policy of the union government, the company stated.
The indigenously designed and developed BH205-E is powered by Tier-II emission compliant modular common rail electronic engine with 2,300 HP, says a company release. ''The AC drive system has been engineered to provide exceptional haul road performance with reduced maintenance'', it added.
The dump truck, which weighs 335 tonnes when fully loaded, but with power steering and short turning radius it can easily be manoeuvered. It has been designed to ensure operator comfort and has an ergonamically designed instrument panel with telescopic tilt steering wheel.
Other features includes large tinted glass windows for good visibility in addition to safety features with provisions for emergency steering, breaking and proximity warning, the release said. ''With the introduction of this new generation dump truck, BEML has touched another milestone in its R&D efforts in achieving self-reliance, enhanced productivity in mining operations in line with 'Make in India' policy and increased coal production, apart from optimising costs'', the release added.
Re: India's R&D in Defence DRDO, PSUs and Private Sector
I think BEML has been absorbing foreign engine technology for only 30 years and has achieved great indigenisation of 5% at components level.
Re: India's R&D in Defence DRDO, PSUs and Private Sector
BEML was mandated by Rajiv Gandhi Govt to absorb and develop heavy engine technology but they only concentrated on getting cuts from foreign suppliers. Thus wasted 30 years.
Re: India's R&D in Defence DRDO, PSUs and Private Sector
From the recent tender documents it appears that ARDE's rail gun might in fact be a coil gun rail gun hybrid using bitter coil based transmission line along with rails. Good old Zeus Numerix, the now go to guys for advanced simulations in the country worked on the simulations for the project.
http://www.zeusnumerix.com//public/down ... _PR074.pdf
http://www.zeusnumerix.com//public/down ... _PR074.pdf
Re: India's R&D in Defence DRDO, PSUs and Private Sector
Indigenously built dredger ready to be inducted in Indian Navy.
Tebma Shipyards today said its indigenously built dredger is ready to be inducted in the Indian Navy. According to the company, this is the Indian Navy's 'first Dredger'.
"The dredger sailed out on March 25, 2015, after successfully completing all the trials in ship builders yard to Mumbai for its formal induction to the Naval fleet under Western naval command," a Tebma Shipyards statement said.
The vessel is designed indigenously and built at Tebma's Malpe facility in Karnataka and it is a self-propelled grab-hopper dredger with capacity to hold 300 cubic metres of dredged material, it said.
It has been designed using 90 per cent of local materials "as a part of Make in India efforts," it said.
The company had earlier delivered various tugs and special purposes barges to Indian Navy and the dredger was its 22nd vessel delivered to the latter, it added.
Tebma Shipyards today said its indigenously built dredger is ready to be inducted in the Indian Navy. According to the company, this is the Indian Navy's 'first Dredger'.
"The dredger sailed out on March 25, 2015, after successfully completing all the trials in ship builders yard to Mumbai for its formal induction to the Naval fleet under Western naval command," a Tebma Shipyards statement said.
The vessel is designed indigenously and built at Tebma's Malpe facility in Karnataka and it is a self-propelled grab-hopper dredger with capacity to hold 300 cubic metres of dredged material, it said.
It has been designed using 90 per cent of local materials "as a part of Make in India efforts," it said.
The company had earlier delivered various tugs and special purposes barges to Indian Navy and the dredger was its 22nd vessel delivered to the latter, it added.
Re: India's R&D in Defence DRDO, PSUs and Private Sector
DRDO lab's device can detect liquid explosives
BENGALURU: Aimed at enhancing security preparedness given the increased threat perception to India and its vulnerability, defence scientists have developed Preemptor, a handheld system which can detect explosives in the form of liquid, powder or pills.
It has undergone user evaluation with paramilitary forces and perceived to have a huge potential. Scientists from DRDO's Laser Science and Technology Centre (LASTEC) say it can detect different types of explosives like TNT, TATP, DNT, RDX, HMX, et al from a range of 5 metres within 10-12 seconds.
The system illuminates the targeted material with a laser. "The system utilises Raman backscattering technique which provides a signature or a fingerprint of the explosive material in terms of light signals. The technique can detect multiple species of explosives contained in transparent bottles in a single measurement," a senior DRDO official told STOI.
Re: India's R&D in Defence DRDO, PSUs and Private Sector
Kakkaji wrote:DRDO lab's device can detect liquid explosives
BENGALURU: Aimed at enhancing security preparedness given the increased threat perception to India and its vulnerability, defence scientists have developed Preemptor, a handheld system which can detect explosives in the form of liquid, powder or pills.
It has undergone user evaluation with paramilitary forces and perceived to have a huge potential. Scientists from DRDO's Laser Science and Technology Centre (LASTEC) say it can detect different types of explosives like TNT, TATP, DNT, RDX, HMX, et al from a range of 5 metres within 10-12 seconds.
The system illuminates the targeted material with a laser. "The system utilises Raman backscattering technique which provides a signature or a fingerprint of the explosive material in terms of light signals. The technique can detect multiple species of explosives contained in transparent bottles in a single measurement," a senior DRDO official told STOI.
This is from a research at IISc. It was posted sometime back on BRF.
Re: India's R&D in Defence DRDO, PSUs and Private Sector
We are finally beginning to work seriously on nanotechnology.
http://ibnlive.in.com/blogs/sauravjha/2 ... india.html
http://ibnlive.in.com/blogs/sauravjha/2 ... india.html
Re: India's R&D in Defence DRDO, PSUs and Private Sector
FY 2014-15: HAL Records Highest Turnover at Rs. 15,480 Crores; Produces Over 2000 Indigenized Items
Bengaluru, April 2, 2015:
Bengaluru, April 2, 2015:
http://www.hal-india.com/FY%202014-15%2 ... ms/ND__116HAL recorded the highest ever turnover of Rs. 15,480 crores (provisional) for the financial year 2014-15 as against Rs. 15,128 crores achieved in FY 2013-14. “Our performance is in line with the MoU signed with the Ministry of Defence and we expect `Excellent’ rating for FY 2014-15. The CAPEX target of Rs. 900 crores has been achieved and we are happy that on the indigenization front over 2000 items were produced resulting in saving to the tune of Rs. 100 crores,” said Mr. T. Suvarna Raju, CMD, HAL. The operating profit for the year was at Rs. 1,560 crores against Rs. 1,551 crores in 2013-14.
As part of Design and Development activities so far 384 flight have been completed on LCH. HAL Board has approved production of 4th technology demonstrator to expedite the process of Initial Operational Clearance (IOC) of LCH. Regarding LUH, Ground Test Vehicle (GTV) test was successfully carried out recently. Also, indigenously designed and developed mini UAV had its first flight during the year.
The commercial negotiation progressed with internal and bilateral meetings with Russian participation for the FGFA program during FY 2014-15. IJT surpassed the milestone of cumulative 1000 sorties with 1004 flights completed so far.
Detailed design, jig fabrication and commissioning have been completed for HAL Basic Turboprop Trainer (HTT-40) and assembly activities have been initiated. Indigenous LCA has so far completed 2871 flights out of which 364 were carried out during 2014-15 for IAF variant. For naval variant of LCA, 43 flights have been completed and 24 flights were done in FY 2014-15. The critical design review for Mirage 2000 upgrade is also completed. Regarding Hindustan Turbo Fan Engine-25 (HTFE-25), detail design of the core engine is completed and assembly tools and required test setup /test bed is under progress. The medium thrust class engine finds wide application in military trainer aircraft, smaller regional jet and unmanned applications.
Some of the other highlights of the year included handing over of the first ROH SU-30 MKI aircraft and first series production of indigenously developed Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) to IAF by the Defence Minister, receiving order for 14 Do-228 aircraft for IAF and production of Hawk aircraft.
As part of R&D policy, a society has been registered for formation of Corporate Meta-university for industry focused research relating to aeronautical sector in all disciplines and inter-disciplinary areas of technologies. During the year 2014-15, 814 patent applications were filed taking the total to 1094 till Mar 31, 2015.
HAL took several initiatives in various other areas such as new product development (supply of rolled rings to Siemens, Canada), customer support, quality, out-sourcing and vendor development, offsets, marketing, IT, HR and CSR during 2014-15.
HAL’s indigenous products enthralled visitors with their flying and static display during the recently concluded 10th edition of Aero India from February 18-22, 2015. The Company’s display was themed around “Evolution of HAL as a centre of excellence in Aviation R&D and Technology over 75 years of its existence”.
Re: India's R&D in Defence DRDO, PSUs and Private Sector
Union minister Harsh Vardhan seeks white paper on civil aircraft project, NAL activities.
Union Minister of Science & Technology and Earth Sciences Dr Harsh Vardhan said on Sunday that he has sought a white paper on the research activities of National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL) in Bengaluru.
Responding to a specific question from OneIndia on the status of NAL's civil aircraft programme, the minister said he has asked Council of Scientific and Industrial Research's (CSIR) acting Director-General (Dr M O Garg) and NAL Director (Shyam Chetty) to make a white paper on the civil aircraft programme and other activities of NAL. "I am of the opinion that we need to re-orient our research. The CSIR needs to definitely take a fresh look at the activities they have been doing in the last six decades,"
Dr Harsh Vardhan said. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and NAL have already formed a special purpose vehicle (SPV) to undertake a 70-90-seater civil aircraft programme on a public private partnership (PPP) model. The SPV was necessitated after the much-hyped National Civil Aircraft Development (NCAD) programme was put to a slow death during the UPA-2 regime.
To a query as to why 17 of 37 CSIR labs in India are currently being headed by acting or stand-by directors, the minister said that the process to find suitable candidates is on. "There could be vacancies, but no work is getting affected. It's a time-consuming process," he said.
To another related query on why CSIR has been running on acting Director-Generals for over one year now, the minister said: "Acting DGs too are capable of doing a good job."
When asked about the status of NAL's ill-fated Saras project, the minister seemed to have no answer. S&T efforts should aid the society Finally, when quizzed about the vision of the Science and Technology Ministry, Dr Harsh Vardhan said that scientists should ensure that the benefits of their research should reach the common man. "We are asking the scientific community to brainstorm at all levels so that the society gets maximum benefit from S&T advancements. We need to make technology people-friendly and cost-effective.
The S&T research should get connected to the people. Else it's meaningless," Dr Harsh Vardhan said. He said the government is keen to bring back scholars who have left India for better job opportunities. On his maiden visit to NAL facilities ever since taking over as the S&T Minister in May 2014, Dr Harsh Vardhan played to the gallery while addressing the team of scientists and engineers. "I never imagined that so much of technology goes behind an aircraft. I am amazed that these technologies ensure that we have a safe and enjoyable flight," the minister said.
Saying that even a small discussion over a tea can lead to many national missions, Dr Harsh Vardhan asked the scientific leaders to take suggestions from non-skilled people as well to improve S&T in India.
Union Minister of Science & Technology and Earth Sciences Dr Harsh Vardhan said on Sunday that he has sought a white paper on the research activities of National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL) in Bengaluru.
Responding to a specific question from OneIndia on the status of NAL's civil aircraft programme, the minister said he has asked Council of Scientific and Industrial Research's (CSIR) acting Director-General (Dr M O Garg) and NAL Director (Shyam Chetty) to make a white paper on the civil aircraft programme and other activities of NAL. "I am of the opinion that we need to re-orient our research. The CSIR needs to definitely take a fresh look at the activities they have been doing in the last six decades,"
Dr Harsh Vardhan said. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and NAL have already formed a special purpose vehicle (SPV) to undertake a 70-90-seater civil aircraft programme on a public private partnership (PPP) model. The SPV was necessitated after the much-hyped National Civil Aircraft Development (NCAD) programme was put to a slow death during the UPA-2 regime.
To a query as to why 17 of 37 CSIR labs in India are currently being headed by acting or stand-by directors, the minister said that the process to find suitable candidates is on. "There could be vacancies, but no work is getting affected. It's a time-consuming process," he said.
To another related query on why CSIR has been running on acting Director-Generals for over one year now, the minister said: "Acting DGs too are capable of doing a good job."
When asked about the status of NAL's ill-fated Saras project, the minister seemed to have no answer. S&T efforts should aid the society Finally, when quizzed about the vision of the Science and Technology Ministry, Dr Harsh Vardhan said that scientists should ensure that the benefits of their research should reach the common man. "We are asking the scientific community to brainstorm at all levels so that the society gets maximum benefit from S&T advancements. We need to make technology people-friendly and cost-effective.
The S&T research should get connected to the people. Else it's meaningless," Dr Harsh Vardhan said. He said the government is keen to bring back scholars who have left India for better job opportunities. On his maiden visit to NAL facilities ever since taking over as the S&T Minister in May 2014, Dr Harsh Vardhan played to the gallery while addressing the team of scientists and engineers. "I never imagined that so much of technology goes behind an aircraft. I am amazed that these technologies ensure that we have a safe and enjoyable flight," the minister said.
Saying that even a small discussion over a tea can lead to many national missions, Dr Harsh Vardhan asked the scientific leaders to take suggestions from non-skilled people as well to improve S&T in India.
Re: India's R&D in Defence DRDO, PSUs and Private Sector
$400 Billion is way off the mark. Currently nano-tech market is about $250 million and expected to reach $1 billion or so in five years from now. I think the article blurs the line between true nano-tech and sub-micron technology. Currently sub 20 nm is also not considered nano-technology.nmadhav wrote:We are finally beginning to work seriously on nanotechnology.
http://ibnlive.in.com/blogs/sauravjha/2 ... india.html
Re: India's R&D in Defence DRDO, PSUs and Private Sector
Cochin Shipyard to build multipurpose vessels, including warships under Make in India campaign.
Government-owned Cochin Shipyard Limited will build Indian Navy's multi-purpose vessels, including warships, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ambitious "Make-in-India" campaign which aims to turn the country into a manufacturing powerhouse of weapons.
Union Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari today said an agreement would be signed between the Defence Ministry and the Ministry of Shipping to manufacture different types of naval ships, including warships, in the next five years at CSL as part of government's efforts to "encourage the Indian industries".
Dedicating a specialized multi-purpose Buoy Tender Vessel to the nation at the shipyard here, Gadkari said he discussed the matter with Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar yesterday and "he assured me we will make an agreement between the two ministries" in this regard.
As per the agreement to be signed, Gadkari said that in the next five years, whatever orders are from the Defence Ministry to manufacture ships, that will go to Cochin Shipyard.
Asked for further clarification on the agreement, he said the Defence Ministry is "mentally prepared" to give orders to the Cochin Shipyard Limited and "they are just studying how much requirement the Navy has in the next five years".
"They will give the order to the Cochin Shipyard. There will be agreement between the Defence Ministry and the Shipping Ministry," the Minister said.
He said the ships to be manufactured in Cochin Shipyard Limited includes warships and other different types of ships, based on the requirement of the Navy.
"My feeling is that we are fully capable and Cochin Shipyard is 101 per cent fully capable. It only needs confidence and ambition. Without ambition, we cannot make progress," the Shipping Minister said.
Gadkari asked Cochin Shipyard Limited to start expansion of its capacity so that it can can play a lead role in ship- building in the country. Noting that Cochin Port Trust has already given some land to Cochin Shipyard Limited, the Minister said "my request is to let us plan for its future expansion" not only in Kochi, but also along different coasts of India.
"We want the expansion of Cochin Shipyard into different parts of India. Already, we have land in Kandla Port... We also have a proposal in Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Government-owned Cochin Shipyard Limited will build Indian Navy's multi-purpose vessels, including warships, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ambitious "Make-in-India" campaign which aims to turn the country into a manufacturing powerhouse of weapons.
Union Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari today said an agreement would be signed between the Defence Ministry and the Ministry of Shipping to manufacture different types of naval ships, including warships, in the next five years at CSL as part of government's efforts to "encourage the Indian industries".
Dedicating a specialized multi-purpose Buoy Tender Vessel to the nation at the shipyard here, Gadkari said he discussed the matter with Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar yesterday and "he assured me we will make an agreement between the two ministries" in this regard.
As per the agreement to be signed, Gadkari said that in the next five years, whatever orders are from the Defence Ministry to manufacture ships, that will go to Cochin Shipyard.
Asked for further clarification on the agreement, he said the Defence Ministry is "mentally prepared" to give orders to the Cochin Shipyard Limited and "they are just studying how much requirement the Navy has in the next five years".
"They will give the order to the Cochin Shipyard. There will be agreement between the Defence Ministry and the Shipping Ministry," the Minister said.
He said the ships to be manufactured in Cochin Shipyard Limited includes warships and other different types of ships, based on the requirement of the Navy.
"My feeling is that we are fully capable and Cochin Shipyard is 101 per cent fully capable. It only needs confidence and ambition. Without ambition, we cannot make progress," the Shipping Minister said.
Gadkari asked Cochin Shipyard Limited to start expansion of its capacity so that it can can play a lead role in ship- building in the country. Noting that Cochin Port Trust has already given some land to Cochin Shipyard Limited, the Minister said "my request is to let us plan for its future expansion" not only in Kochi, but also along different coasts of India.
"We want the expansion of Cochin Shipyard into different parts of India. Already, we have land in Kandla Port... We also have a proposal in Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Re: India's R&D in Defence DRDO, PSUs and Private Sector
God, what it feels like to have a real government at last....
Re: India's R&D in Defence DRDO, PSUs and Private Sector
http://ibnlive.in.com/blogs/sauravjha/2 ... ptron.html
Coolest Geeks in India #2: An interview with Captain S Ramaprasad (rtd), VSM, Indian Navy and Managing Director of Kaptron
IBNLive
To be dominant in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), India must stay at the cutting edge of anti-submarine warfare capability which naturally continues to depend on the efficacy of underwater detection technology. Today we talk to Captain Ramaprasad, a front-ranking technologist in this domain who cut his teeth in the Indian Navy's Weapons, Electronic, Electrical Systems Engineering' (WEESE) Group at New Delhi and actually went on to develop the combat management system used in the INS Arihant today, an effort for which he received the Vishisht Seva Medal. Captain Ramaprasad's standout work from the past also includes inputs for DRDO's USHUS sonar which is being used in Indian submarines today. An M.Tech from IIT Kanpur, Captain Ramaprasad has declined numerous offers from foreign majors such as Lockheed Martin Librascope over the years to keep working on sonar technology in India. Through his company Kaptron, he continues to make critical contributions to India's submarine detection capabilities.
We are into sonar, radar and combat management systems. In fact, wherever there is a place for signal processing, probability & statistics; machine learning etc. - we are well-poised to create a positive impact. We develop algorithms, build models, simulate and evolve systems.
3. What technology has Kaptron developed in house?
We have successfully developed a sonar information processor (SIP) that uses sophisticated DSP and graphics. We have also modeled the ocean for sound propagation for predicting the performance of active and passive sonars.
We have developed radar cross section prediction software that can be further developed to build stealthy ships and aircraft. Our core strength is basically algorithm development for mathematically complex - real-time systems for the Armed Forces.
4. What is the potential of this technology?
We can significantly contribute towards upgrading several systems that the Navy is operating today. We can also help cut down development time for systems being created in India today.
5. Tell us a bit about some existing projects where your company has brought new capabilities to the table?
Most recently, the SIP from our stables has made it to serving submarines of the Indian Navy. The SIP incorporates technologies that foreigners might not be willing to sell to India. And this has been used to considerably improve the performance of the legacy Russian MGK-400 sonar on board Indian kilo class submarines in terms of both detection range as well as other aspects. This technology can be used for almost all other classes of sonars whether active or passive, whether hull mounted or towed or dunking. This can be used for sonobuoys also. In fact we are now working on improving a legacy medium frequency dunking sonar in service with the Navy.
7. What are some of the challenges faced by companies like yours today?
Basic challenge is the opportunities available to us. While enormous opportunities exist, with India spending lakhs of crores on military equipment, hardly anything comes to us. Many procedures instituted by the Government are basically hostile to small companies like ours that want to do research activities. Instead of giving us professional challenges, we are offered every other type of challenge at multiple levels. At one point, I had to actually sell my house to keep this company running.
8. What kind of support do you think should be forthcoming on the policy front for companies like yours?
Fundamental support to specific R&D activities that could be harnessed for defence purposes, especially when credible technical capability has been demonstrated. Already we are a designated R&D partner for Bharat Electronics Limited for both sonar and radar systems.
9. What do you think are the key trends in sonar technology heading into the future?
Well, the sky is the limit for sonar technology. Today there are high frequency applications for which better resolutions are being sought. There are low frequency applications that promise superior range capability. Long range underwater communications, underwater and undersea explorations are just a few of the possibilities.
Coolest Geeks in India #2: An interview with Captain S Ramaprasad (rtd), VSM, Indian Navy and Managing Director of Kaptron
IBNLive
To be dominant in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), India must stay at the cutting edge of anti-submarine warfare capability which naturally continues to depend on the efficacy of underwater detection technology. Today we talk to Captain Ramaprasad, a front-ranking technologist in this domain who cut his teeth in the Indian Navy's Weapons, Electronic, Electrical Systems Engineering' (WEESE) Group at New Delhi and actually went on to develop the combat management system used in the INS Arihant today, an effort for which he received the Vishisht Seva Medal. Captain Ramaprasad's standout work from the past also includes inputs for DRDO's USHUS sonar which is being used in Indian submarines today. An M.Tech from IIT Kanpur, Captain Ramaprasad has declined numerous offers from foreign majors such as Lockheed Martin Librascope over the years to keep working on sonar technology in India. Through his company Kaptron, he continues to make critical contributions to India's submarine detection capabilities.
We are into sonar, radar and combat management systems. In fact, wherever there is a place for signal processing, probability & statistics; machine learning etc. - we are well-poised to create a positive impact. We develop algorithms, build models, simulate and evolve systems.
3. What technology has Kaptron developed in house?
We have successfully developed a sonar information processor (SIP) that uses sophisticated DSP and graphics. We have also modeled the ocean for sound propagation for predicting the performance of active and passive sonars.
We have developed radar cross section prediction software that can be further developed to build stealthy ships and aircraft. Our core strength is basically algorithm development for mathematically complex - real-time systems for the Armed Forces.
4. What is the potential of this technology?
We can significantly contribute towards upgrading several systems that the Navy is operating today. We can also help cut down development time for systems being created in India today.
5. Tell us a bit about some existing projects where your company has brought new capabilities to the table?
Most recently, the SIP from our stables has made it to serving submarines of the Indian Navy. The SIP incorporates technologies that foreigners might not be willing to sell to India. And this has been used to considerably improve the performance of the legacy Russian MGK-400 sonar on board Indian kilo class submarines in terms of both detection range as well as other aspects. This technology can be used for almost all other classes of sonars whether active or passive, whether hull mounted or towed or dunking. This can be used for sonobuoys also. In fact we are now working on improving a legacy medium frequency dunking sonar in service with the Navy.
7. What are some of the challenges faced by companies like yours today?
Basic challenge is the opportunities available to us. While enormous opportunities exist, with India spending lakhs of crores on military equipment, hardly anything comes to us. Many procedures instituted by the Government are basically hostile to small companies like ours that want to do research activities. Instead of giving us professional challenges, we are offered every other type of challenge at multiple levels. At one point, I had to actually sell my house to keep this company running.
8. What kind of support do you think should be forthcoming on the policy front for companies like yours?
Fundamental support to specific R&D activities that could be harnessed for defence purposes, especially when credible technical capability has been demonstrated. Already we are a designated R&D partner for Bharat Electronics Limited for both sonar and radar systems.
9. What do you think are the key trends in sonar technology heading into the future?
Well, the sky is the limit for sonar technology. Today there are high frequency applications for which better resolutions are being sought. There are low frequency applications that promise superior range capability. Long range underwater communications, underwater and undersea explorations are just a few of the possibilities.
Re: India's R&D in Defence DRDO, PSUs and Private Sector
now that is cool !!
Re: India's R&D in Defence DRDO, PSUs and Private Sector
i do hope a few millions from DRDO go his way for research !.. definitely promising !
Re: India's R&D in Defence DRDO, PSUs and Private Sector
I hope other DPSU shipyard unions don't do any rona-dhona like they have done with orders to private shipyards (http://ajaishukla.blogspot.in/2012/10/u ... -into.html). CSL is also a PSU, and there are plenty of orders to go around. That said, why did the MoD not consider giving some orders to the private yards at Pipavav and Kattupalli? CSL is anyway assumed to build the follow on carriers for the Navy.Vipul wrote:Cochin Shipyard to build multipurpose vessels, including warships under Make in India campaign.
As per the agreement to be signed, Gadkari said that in the next five years, whatever orders are from the Defence Ministry to manufacture ships, that will go to Cochin Shipyard.
Re: India's R&D in Defence DRDO, PSUs and Private Sector
Beautiful. Very glad to have read this. Hopefully he'll receive all the resource support they need to continue their R&D efforts.Karan M wrote:http://ibnlive.in.com/blogs/sauravjha/2 ... ptron.html
Re: India's R&D in Defence DRDO, PSUs and Private Sector
Due credit to Saurav Jha & his untiring efforts.
Re: India's R&D in Defence DRDO, PSUs and Private Sector
http://www.huffingtonpost.in/2015/04/08 ... 22098.html
Make In India: Lapsed Tenders Are Hurting Narendra Modi's Defence Industry Push
Reuters
Posted: 08/04/2015 08:19 IST
NEW DELHI — Indian firms have spurned some $15 billion worth of government tenders to make a range of weapons since 2013, Defence Ministry officials say, in a blow to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his drive to wean the country off imported arms.
Executives cited unrealistic quality demands from a military short of planes, tanks and guns as a key reason for their reluctance to bid for projects. Complicating things further, the military doesn't want weapons from Indian firms with no track record in defence manufacturing, experts said.
Irked by India's status as the world's biggest arms importer, Modi wants to build an advanced defence industry but almost a year into his "Make in India" campaign, which aims to turn the country into a manufacturing powerhouse, not one large domestic weapons project has been awarded.
Tenders for anything from air defence guns to surface-to-air missiles to transport planes have lapsed, Defence Ministry officials told Reuters. The tenders total around $15 billion according to a Reuters compilation of offers since early 2013.
"'Make in India' is a laudable aim, but it's moving rather slowly. It's not a switch you can press and everything will fall into place," said Vivek Rae, head of procurement at the Defence Ministry from 2010-2012.
Anil Ambani, the billionaire chairman of the Reliance Group, recounted at a recent conference how Modi asked him if he knew India didn't make tear gas shells.
"Even the tears we shed are foreign," Ambani quoted the nationalist leader, who took office last May, as saying.
Modi wants to build a strong military after years of neglect that military planners say has left India vulnerable should rivals China and Pakistan ever launch a combined attack, although experts say this is highly unlikely. India is being challenged, however, in its Indian Ocean backyard, where China's more modernised navy is starting to assert itself.
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar has said new defence production policies will be unveiled this month to address the concerns of private firms: opaque procedures, unrealistic quality requirements and slow decision-making.
"We're trying to simplify procedures, create a level-playing field but still there are many cases of zero participation in tenders," said G. Mohan Kumar, the defence production secretary leading the localisation drive.
The military declined to comment, referring queries to the Defence Ministry, which controls procurement.
RINGFENCING PROJECTS
India gets 70 percent of its arms from abroad. For decades, it has bought off-the-shelf equipment mainly from Russia, which offered to assemble some weaponry locally but little in the way of technology transfers.
Modi has vowed to change that by ringfencing $100 billion worth of defence deals for domestic companies over the next decade under which they can build on their own or with foreign partners.
Last year the government asked several Indian companies to show interest in an estimated $1.7 billion deal to replace 1960s-era Swedish air defence guns, but only one said it could meet the requirements, said one of the Defence Ministry officials. He declined to identify the company.
The head of one firm which told the government it was not interested in the project said the military laid down "impossible" requirements by insisting on technology that only foreign manufacturers had. He declined to be identified because of the sensitivity of defence issues.
In November, the government put an estimated $2 billion proposal to replace its ageing fleet of Avro cargo planes on ice after the tender attracted only one bidder, a partnership between Europe's Airbus Group and India's Tata Sons .
"Even if there is an alternative better solution, as per current practice the requirements cannot be changed, or if they are changed it is questioned," said M.V. Kotwal, head of defence business at infrastructure group Larsen and Toubro . "The flexibility is not there."
Over the past 18 months, 41 requests for expressions of interest for naval projects alone fell through because of problems relating to manufacturing requirements, the Defence Ministry official added.
JUMPSTART
Trying to move projects along, Modi's government in February approved an $8 billion proposal to build warships in India that had been awaiting cabinet signoff since 2012.
It has also ordered an accelerated local programme to build six diesel-electric submarines, in addition to six similar vessels that French firm DCNS is assembling in Mumbai port to replace India's ageing underwater fleet.
A Defence Ministry committee submitted a report last month identifying five private and state-run shipyards where the submarines could be built with a foreign partner. It will now invite expressions of interest for the $8.5 billion project.
Experts said one problem is that some military officers eye technology only available in the west, without understanding what Indian firms can produce.
"The armed forces are reluctant to accept hardware that doesn't have a record in operational conditions. Indian companies have no track record," said Bharat Karnad at the Centre for Policy Research in New Delhi.
Retired vice admiral Premvir Das added that to expect Indian companies to manufacture major defence platforms in the forseeable future is to "live in a dreamland".
Make In India: Lapsed Tenders Are Hurting Narendra Modi's Defence Industry Push
Reuters
Posted: 08/04/2015 08:19 IST
NEW DELHI — Indian firms have spurned some $15 billion worth of government tenders to make a range of weapons since 2013, Defence Ministry officials say, in a blow to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his drive to wean the country off imported arms.
Executives cited unrealistic quality demands from a military short of planes, tanks and guns as a key reason for their reluctance to bid for projects. Complicating things further, the military doesn't want weapons from Indian firms with no track record in defence manufacturing, experts said.
Irked by India's status as the world's biggest arms importer, Modi wants to build an advanced defence industry but almost a year into his "Make in India" campaign, which aims to turn the country into a manufacturing powerhouse, not one large domestic weapons project has been awarded.
Tenders for anything from air defence guns to surface-to-air missiles to transport planes have lapsed, Defence Ministry officials told Reuters. The tenders total around $15 billion according to a Reuters compilation of offers since early 2013.
"'Make in India' is a laudable aim, but it's moving rather slowly. It's not a switch you can press and everything will fall into place," said Vivek Rae, head of procurement at the Defence Ministry from 2010-2012.
Anil Ambani, the billionaire chairman of the Reliance Group, recounted at a recent conference how Modi asked him if he knew India didn't make tear gas shells.
"Even the tears we shed are foreign," Ambani quoted the nationalist leader, who took office last May, as saying.
Modi wants to build a strong military after years of neglect that military planners say has left India vulnerable should rivals China and Pakistan ever launch a combined attack, although experts say this is highly unlikely. India is being challenged, however, in its Indian Ocean backyard, where China's more modernised navy is starting to assert itself.
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar has said new defence production policies will be unveiled this month to address the concerns of private firms: opaque procedures, unrealistic quality requirements and slow decision-making.
"We're trying to simplify procedures, create a level-playing field but still there are many cases of zero participation in tenders," said G. Mohan Kumar, the defence production secretary leading the localisation drive.
The military declined to comment, referring queries to the Defence Ministry, which controls procurement.
RINGFENCING PROJECTS
India gets 70 percent of its arms from abroad. For decades, it has bought off-the-shelf equipment mainly from Russia, which offered to assemble some weaponry locally but little in the way of technology transfers.
Modi has vowed to change that by ringfencing $100 billion worth of defence deals for domestic companies over the next decade under which they can build on their own or with foreign partners.
Last year the government asked several Indian companies to show interest in an estimated $1.7 billion deal to replace 1960s-era Swedish air defence guns, but only one said it could meet the requirements, said one of the Defence Ministry officials. He declined to identify the company.
The head of one firm which told the government it was not interested in the project said the military laid down "impossible" requirements by insisting on technology that only foreign manufacturers had. He declined to be identified because of the sensitivity of defence issues.
In November, the government put an estimated $2 billion proposal to replace its ageing fleet of Avro cargo planes on ice after the tender attracted only one bidder, a partnership between Europe's Airbus Group and India's Tata Sons .
"Even if there is an alternative better solution, as per current practice the requirements cannot be changed, or if they are changed it is questioned," said M.V. Kotwal, head of defence business at infrastructure group Larsen and Toubro . "The flexibility is not there."
Over the past 18 months, 41 requests for expressions of interest for naval projects alone fell through because of problems relating to manufacturing requirements, the Defence Ministry official added.
JUMPSTART
Trying to move projects along, Modi's government in February approved an $8 billion proposal to build warships in India that had been awaiting cabinet signoff since 2012.
It has also ordered an accelerated local programme to build six diesel-electric submarines, in addition to six similar vessels that French firm DCNS is assembling in Mumbai port to replace India's ageing underwater fleet.
A Defence Ministry committee submitted a report last month identifying five private and state-run shipyards where the submarines could be built with a foreign partner. It will now invite expressions of interest for the $8.5 billion project.
Experts said one problem is that some military officers eye technology only available in the west, without understanding what Indian firms can produce.
"The armed forces are reluctant to accept hardware that doesn't have a record in operational conditions. Indian companies have no track record," said Bharat Karnad at the Centre for Policy Research in New Delhi.
Retired vice admiral Premvir Das added that to expect Indian companies to manufacture major defence platforms in the forseeable future is to "live in a dreamland".
Re: India's R&D in Defence DRDO, PSUs and Private Sector
Dreams are a good place to start ..and to get going is important ..in defence ..start MAKE IN INDIA SOMEWHERE ..ANYWHERE FIRST ..the rest will follow !
Re: India's R&D in Defence DRDO, PSUs and Private Sector
MOD Annual Report 2014-15 is out!
Many new details
http://mod.gov.in/forms/List.aspx?Id=57 ... yListId=57
Many new details
http://mod.gov.in/forms/List.aspx?Id=57 ... yListId=57
Re: India's R&D in Defence DRDO, PSUs and Private Sector
Looks like the report has been removed!Karan M wrote:MOD Annual Report 2014-15 is out!
Many new details
http://mod.gov.in/forms/List.aspx?Id=57 ... yListId=57
-
- BRF Oldie
- Posts: 6117
- Joined: 16 Oct 2005 05:51
Re: India's R&D in Defence DRDO, PSUs and Private Sector
No click it twice.
Re: India's R&D in Defence DRDO, PSUs and Private Sector
deejay, Click on Publications tab and annual reports.....
Re: India's R&D in Defence DRDO, PSUs and Private Sector
Thank You sanjaykumar ji and ramana ji. Being dumb moment there.
Re: India's R&D in Defence DRDO, PSUs and Private Sector
✈Anantha Krishnan M✈ retweeted
SasDrifter @DigestSas 10m10 minutes ago
DRDO: work on 7 EW systems (EW‘Shakti’; COMINT ‘Nayan’,‘Sarvadhari’;ESM ‘Tushar’, ‘Sarang’ & ‘Sarakshi’, ESM & COMINT ‘Nikash’) @writetake
✈Anantha Krishnan M✈ @writetake 17m17 minutes ago
DRDO: 6 types of munitions are being designed,developed viz. Nipun, Vibhav, Vishal, Parth, Prachand and Ulka. RT: @DigestSas
✈Anantha Krishnan M✈ @writetake 39m39 minutes ago
The found'ion stone for 50 Ton Rocket StaticTest Facility Ibrahimpatnam laid for Test Firing Rocket Motors. RT: @DigestSas
Re: India's R&D in Defence DRDO, PSUs and Private Sector
Here is the full interview, must see. MP has good grasp of things, including DRDO, Make in India, Private sector participation, OROP, CDS etc.
Re: India's R&D in Defence DRDO, PSUs and Private Sector
Excellent interview !!! Mr. Parrikar has got grasp of things and being an engineer/small scale industrialist in the past, he understands nitti gritty of things..
Re: India's R&D in Defence DRDO, PSUs and Private Sector
Saurav Jha's tweet pointed this out to me and I don't remember this being posted here
World’s first compact and energy efficient supercomputer launched by C-DAC
Kind of like Nvidia Tesla, I was hoping that India will do something similar and here we have this. We still have to go a long way in making HPC hardware.
CDAC also has a twitter handle which has truckloads of information.
World’s first compact and energy efficient supercomputer launched by C-DAC
25 December 2014
New Delhi
Commemorating the first celebrations of Good Governance Day under the aegis of the Ministry of Communications and IT, Government of India, at New Delhi, the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) unveiled the world's most compact supercomputing system today. This new HPC solution christened as PARAM Shavak was launched at the hands of Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad, Hon'ble Minister for Communications & IT, Government of India at the event.
The product PARAM Shavak - Supercomputer in a Box solution, aims to provide computational resource (Capacity building) with advanced technologies to perform the high-end computations on a larger scale for the scientific, engineering and academic programmes.
PARAM Shavak is a ready-to-use affordable supercomputer pre-loaded with all the required system software and applications from selected scientific and engineering domains. The system is designed to be enabling tool for research organizations as well as academic institutions that need High Performance Computing (HPC) for education and research. It aims to provide computational resource with advanced technologies at affordable cost to perform the high-end computations for the scientific, engineering and academic programmes to address and catalyze the research using modelling, simulation and data analysis.
There is a growing recognition worldwide, that Information Technology, and in particular the high performance computing (HPC) for computational simulation and modelling, is the key technology resource for economic growth, environmental understanding, scientific and engineering research breakthroughs, and for sustaining competitiveness in strategic areas. Consequently, several nations are taking initiatives to provide high-end computing resources for their scientists and engineers for high-end educational and research purposes.
Addressing the media, Prof Rajat Moona, Director General, C-DAC, said that PARAM Shavak "is the perfect compromise between high performance computing requirements and infrastructure availability. The compact nature of its design makes it an ideal solution for multiple environments both for research as well as for training. We are hopeful that the research and academic institutes will see the potential of this tool to ramp up their in-house research and scale new challenges. Our primary aim is to enhance the HPC ecosystem in the country through the use of PARAM Shavak and raise the bar of R&D in the country".
Speaking on the occasion, Shri Sanjay Wandhekar, Associate Director & HoD, HPC, C-DAC, Pune added that the Param Shavak could be "placed in a standard office workspace. It comes with a handful of value additions from C-DAC viz. indigenously developed software with most of the features that can be found in a full blown HPC clusters like job schedulers, compilers, parallel libraries, MPI, resource managers, some of the commonly used HPC applications in engineering and scientific domains, etc".
The system consists of at least 2 multicore CPUs each with at least 10 cores along with either one or two number of many core or GPU accelerator cards. The entire configuration is available in a single server in a table top model. Regardless to the traditional HPC systems/supercomputers, this system does not require specific support infrastructure like precision air-conditioned environment, controlled humidity etc.
Kind of like Nvidia Tesla, I was hoping that India will do something similar and here we have this. We still have to go a long way in making HPC hardware.
CDAC also has a twitter handle which has truckloads of information.
Re: India's R&D in Defence DRDO, PSUs and Private Sector
National Supercomputing Mission to place India at par with US, China
India plans to elbow its way into the top club of nations that flaunt superior supercomputing prowess. The newly sanctioned Rs 4,500-crore supercomputing mission is also expected to give a leg up to scientific research in the country.
"It will completely change the way we do research. The mission will definitely bring non linear transformation for Indian science," said prof N Balakrishnan, head of Supercomputer Education & Research Centre, Indian Institute of Science.
Last month, the government approved Rs 4500 crore for the National Supercomputing Mission — a seven-year project which will place India's infrastructure at par with nations like China and the US.
The plan is to deliver high performance computing on the cloud from supercomputers installed across 17 locations, for applications ranging from accurate weather prediction to drug discovery and data crunching for scientific research.
In the next seven years, supercomputer performance is expected to touch ExaFLOPS (1000 peta flops) level and India will not be behind, said Rajat Prime Minister Narendra Modi will provide strategic advice and recommend applications.
The supercomputer grid will be connected on a high speed network that will enable researchers to collaborate easily, said Moona. "We are going to offer it as a software as a service model or platform as a service model," he said.
The National Supercomputing Mission was proposed in 2011 by a group of scientists and the planning commission which saw the need to supplement India's supercomputing capabilities.
The government had also given in principle approval to the project. However, subsequent Union Budgets did not set aside any funds for it. The funds sanctioned by the government will go a long way in building the supercomputing ecosystem in the country.
"Building supercomputers have become a little easier because today we can use commodity hardware and software," said Balakrishnan. The computers will be located mostly in academic institutions, universities and research organizations. Over the years, India's supercomputing powers have lagged other nations.
Currently, China, United States, Japan, Switzerland and Germany figure prominently in the list of countries with most supercomputing powers. Tianhe-2, a Chinese supercomputer the fastest in the world with a performance of 33.86 peta-flops per second (quadrillions of calculations per second) according to the November list of Top500, a ranking of supercomputers across the world. Bengaluru, will also focus on skill development and lay the groundwork for future supercomputing initiatives.
"Supercomputing will also help the government manage big data and deliver services to citizens smartly," said Vishal Dhupar, who is managing director, Asia South at chip maker Nvidia.
A governing board chaired by Moona, the head of Centre for Development of Advanced Computing, which is one of the implementing agencies of the mission.
The fastest supercomputer in India at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology operates at .71 PetaFlops whereas the world's fastest supercomputer in China currently operates at 33.86 PetaFlops. Flops is a measure of supercomputing power and stands for floating point operations per second.
"We are going to look at geo exploration, finding reserves of oil and gas, astrophysics, disaster management and flood forecasting," said Moona. The network will comprise of three large scale computers, 20 mid-sized supercomputers and 50 lower end computers.