ADITI Scheme with Rs 750 Crore to Boost India’s Defence Tech Innovation: Explained in 10 Key Points

New Delhi: Defense Minister Rajnath Singh recently revealed the ‘acing’ development of innovative technologies with iDEX (ADITI) scheme, which the Defense Ministry launched with the purpose of encouraging innovation in critical and strategic defence technologies. The launch took place during DefConnect 2024 in New Delhi on March 4. 

This specific initiative falls under the iDEX (Innovations for Defense Excellence) framework of the Department of Defense Production (DDP) and MoD has been allocated  a budget of Rs 750 crore till 2026. The ADITI scheme is designed to support start-ups involved in research, development, and innovation ventures in defence technology, an official statement said. 

Under the scheme, eligible start-ups can receive grant-in-aid. The goal of the new scheme, as the MoD puts forth, is to nurture the innovation of youth and propel the country forward in the field of technology.

Here are Top 10 Points About ADITI Scheme

• Launch and purpose: The ADITI Scheme was launched by the Defense Minister with the aim of promoting innovations in critical and strategic defence technologies.
•  Grant-in-Aid: Start-ups will now be  eligible to receive grant-in-aid of up to Rs 25 crore for their research, development, and innovation endeavours in defence technology under the ADITI Scheme.
• Duration and Budget: The scheme is worth Rs 750 crore for the period 2023–24 to 2025–26, falling under the iDEX framework of the Department of Defense Production (DDP), Ministry of Defense.
• Objective: The primary objective of the ADITI Scheme is to nurture the innovation of youth and propel the country forward in the field of technology, particularly in defence.
•  Technological focus: It also has the aim of developing about 30 deep-tech critical and strategic technologies within the proposed time frame. This is being done to encourage advancements in defence capabilities.
•  Challenges launched: In its first edition, the ADITI Scheme has launched 17 challenges across various branches of the Indian Armed Forces, including the Indian Army, Indian Navy, Indian Air Force, and the Defense Space Agency.
• Expansion of iDEX: The ADITI Scheme comes as an expansion of the iDEX (Innovations for Defense Excellence) initiative, which, as per the MoD, reflects the government's ‘commitment’ to encourage innovative ideas among the youth.
•  Encouragement for innovators: To motivate young innovators, the iDEX initiative was expanded to iDEX Prime, with the assistance increasing from Rs 1.5 crore to Rs 10 crore.
• Transformation into a knowledge society: The ADITI Scheme, along with other initiatives like iDEX and iDEX Prime, also has the objective of transforming India into a knowledge society by leveraging technological advancements, the official statement from the MoD added.
• National security and self-reliance: The scheme also aligns with the government's vision of Atmanirbharta, or a way to attain self-reliance in defence production, thereby increasing national security and sovereignty by reducing dependency on imports.