VP Venkaiah Naidu refers to use of low-flying drones, advises IITs to focus on terrorism related areas

Vice President of India M Venkaiah Naidu on Wednesday, said that terrorism is the enemy of mankind and also referred to the use of low-flying drones by terrorists. Naidu's statement came after two low-intensity explosions were reported at Jammu Air Force Station on Sunday.

Chennai (Tamil Nadu): Days after two low-intensity explosions were reported at Jammu Air Force Station, Vice President of India M Venkaiah Naidu on Wednesday, said that terrorism is the enemy of mankind and also referred to the use of low-flying drones by terrorists. Speaking after visiting the site of India's first 3D Printed House in India at IIT Madras, the Vice President referred to the use of low-flying drones by terrorists and pointed that they cannot be detected by military radars. He called upon the research community and institutions like IITs to come up with intelligent solutions to thwart the sinister plans of terrorists to hurt the country's interests, according to Vice President's Secretariat.

Two low-intensity explosions were reported early Sunday morning in the technical area of Jammu Air Force Station. The attack carried out possibly using the improvised explosive device (IED), could not cause much damage and caused minor injuries to two personnel on duty. Two drones were used to drop explosives on the Jammu airbase by the attackers who then navigated their quadcopters out of that area, the sources had said. Earlier, Naidu commended the efforts of the team behind the project of India's first 3D Printed House - a joint collaboration of IIT Madras and a startup, Tvasta Manufacturing Solutions.

Emphasizing on the developmental prerogatives of technology, the Vice President highlighted the importance of industry-institute partnerships in scaling up emerging technologies and achieving commercial viability. "Technologies should not be limited to being only proof of concept. It can greatly alleviate human suffering and make a common man's life comfortable. That is the ultimate purpose of any research," he said.

Noting the advantages of the technology, the Vice President said that 3D printing in construction offers a completely customisable house design and reduces manual intervention. He called for more such technological innovations to address the housing shortage in India and to fulfil the ambitious low-cost housing projects like the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY). The Vice President also commended IIT Madras for encouraging innovation and for nurturing a vibrant startup ecosystem through its state-of-the-art research park.

(ANI)