Military Literature Festival: Guv Kataria lauds scientists’ role in indigenisation, export of weapons

Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria today appreciated the achievements made by Indian scientists in indigenisation of weapons systems and said such weapons now being exported is a testimony of their success.

Speaking at the inaugural session of the 8th edition of the Military Literature Festival (MLF) in Chandigarh, the Governor said while there was no dearth of talent in the country, opportunities had been missing.

“Now, that opportunities are available, we have shown to the world what our talent can produce and that we are no less in any sphere,” he said. “This is a step towards self-reliance and it is for the first time other countries have shown an interest in procuring weapons systems from India,” he added.

Kataria also lauded the increasing role of women in the armed forces, stating that they are performing all types of roles, including deployment at the borders and flying modern fighter aircraft.

Commending the sacrifices and devotion to duty by defence personnel, he said that their exploits and achievements must be recorded and passed down to future generations, for which literature is the appropriate medium.

Sacrifices have made soldiers immortal and these will inspire the younger generation and attract them towards the forces, he added.

Chandigarh MP Manish Tewari said for the first time since the end of World War II, we have three conflicts going on simultaneously — the Russia-Ukraine war, the conflict in the Middle East and tensions in the South China Sea. He added that collectively they have the profound capability to impact the world order.

He flagged the emergence of a loose alliance of nuclear and quasi-nuclear states, including China, North Korea, Pakistan and Iran in Asia and said it would be India’s biggest security dilemma in the coming decade and pose a challenge for strategic planners to deal with.

Tewari suggested an inexorable decline of Russia in the coming years due to its dependence on a war economy and said that which country could fill in this vacuum, be it China or China along with another nation, is a question that requires serious perusal.

Touching upon the prevailing geo-economic environment, he pointed out the gold is back in reckoning due to the insecurities created by the three ongoing conflicts, with central banks now holding about 12 per cent of the gold reserves as compared to 5 per cent in 2008. He said this raises the possibility of de-dollarisation of the global economy and if that happens, then the mechanisms for international transactions and trade will have to be considered by economists and planners.

Tewari said the fourth industrial revolution with artificial intelligence, genomics and robotics had a profound impact on revolution in military affairs. With the battlefield scenario changing as militaries move from an informationalised paradigm to an intelligensised template, the Indian strategic community has to figure where the country figures in this transition, given the fact that it is in the process of reorganisation of its higher defence management.

Lt Gen Tejinder Singh Shergill (retd), chairman of the MLF Association, gave an overview of the prevailing geopolitical environment and the past and future global events that have shaped the current world order.