DRDO Hosts National Seminar on Quality Assurance in Defence Innovation
New Delhi saw a major coming together of India's defence ecosystem when a National Seminar on "Advancing Defence Excellence through Quality Assurance" was conducted on November 18, 2025, at the Dr D S Kothari Auditorium, DRDO Bhawan. Organised under the Department of Defence Production, the seminar brought together the Directorate General of Quality Assurance and the Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers in a joint effort to strengthen India's defence manufacturing landscape.
Delivering the keynote address, Secretary Defence Production Shri Sanjeev Kumar drove home forcefully the uncompromising role of quality in military equipment. He underlined that precision, reliability, and strict quality protocols are not just desirable but imperative since they are directly linked to the safety of soldiers and the success of missions. He called for deeper synergy by Quality Assurance organisations to act as partners that empower and enable India's defence manufacturers in the ongoing journey of the country towards Aatmanirbharta.
Shri Kumar also highlighted some of the major reforms that are in the offing in Defence Public Sector Undertakings, including the implementation of Industry 4.0/QA 4.0 frameworks, aimed at upgrading Indian defence production to world-class standards. He talked about the reforms in the works that will make QA procedures simpler and rational, promote automation and simplification of processes, and foster trust between industry and QA bodies for faster and more efficient delivery of defence equipment.
DGQA Director General Shri N Manoharan apprised about initiatives being pursued to support Ease of Doing Business, which, inter-alia, included upgraded Green Channel privileges and strengthened Self-Certification mechanisms that provide greater autonomy to the manufacturer while reducing procedural delays.
Other presentations included insights provided by Lt Gen Amardeep Singh Aujla, MGS, IHQ (MoD) and Shri Rajinder Singh Bhatia, President of SIDM, on evolving expectations, operational perspectives, and the synergy needed across the defence sector for maintaining quality benchmarks along with accelerated timelines for production.
One of the seminar's highlights was an in-depth interactive session on enhancing QA and testing infrastructure, chaired by Dr Garima Bhagat, Joint Secretary (Land Systems). Participants discussed emerging technologies, infrastructure gaps, and the modernisation needed to support India's expanding defence manufacturing capabilities.
The seminar was a high-impact platform for the exchange of ideas, alignment of priorities, and reiteration of the mutual resolve to raise India's defence quality standards, with over 500 attendees, including representatives from the defence industries, DPSUs, senior Armed Forces personnel, and government officials. The event not only reflected India's determination to build a robust, technologically driven defence ecosystem but also reaffirmed that collaboration, trust, and innovation will remain at the heart of advancing national defence excellence.
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