New Delhi: Twenty days after the drone attack at Jammu Air Force station on June 27, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday said developing a 'swadeshi' anti-drone technology was the government's top priority. The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) was working on it, he said.
Speaking at the Border Security Force's (BSF) 18th Investiture ceremony, Shah said, "DRDO is working on developing an anti-drone swadeshi technology to get over this danger and all the research and development projects in this regard have been sanctioned by the government." He asked the BSF officers to be prepared for the use of artificial intelligence and collaborate with the experts to find solutions to issues created by terrorists and smugglers.
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Lauding the Modi government, Shah said a dedicated defence policy was initiated only after the BJP rose to power at the Centre seven years ago. "Either it was the foreign policy that dictated the defence policy or the foreign policy overlapped the defence policy. It is only after the formation of the Narendra Modi government that an independent defence policy was initiated," he said, adding that India's intention is to work peacefully with all, however, "if someone try's to touch our borders or challenges our sovereignty, they will get befitting reply in the same language."
Paying his tributes to the martyred jawans, Shah said, "I salute those who have made the supreme sacrifice. These bravehearts and warriors cannot be forgotten. India has a place of pride on the world map due to the BSF and our paramilitary forces who are protecting the border," he said.
The BSF's investiture ceremony is being celebrated since 2003 in memory of the first director general, Padma Vibhushan K F Rustamji, popularly known as the founding father of BSF. During the award ceremony, 14 BSF personnel were awarded medals for gallantry and 13 for meritorious services.
