The 4th edition of the Indian Navy's flagship Naval Innovation and Indigenisation Organisation seminar - Swavlamban2025 commenced at the Manekshaw Centre, New Delhi on 25 November 2025. Hon’ble Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh, the Chief Guest, visited the exhibition and addressed the plenary session.
Hon’ble Raksha Mantri underscored the seminar’s rise as one of India’s most influential platforms for defence innovation, noting that India is on the cusp of a transformative era - where Startups, MSMEs, and young technologists are propelling the nation from being a defence equipment buyer to a creator and global supplier of cutting-edge technologies. He called upon industry to adopt a “profit-plus” vision - balancing economic gains with national commitment to build a robust, self-reliant defence ecosystem. In his welcome address, Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, CNS, highlighted that with each successive edition, Swavlamban has grown in scope, scale and participation – evolving from 800 participants in its maiden edition to an impressive gathering of 3,000 last year. CNS noted that out of the 565 iDEX challenges announced so far, Indian Navy accounts for 35% of all challenges - an achievement significantly driven by Swavlamban . CNS further emphasised that products developed by start-ups and MSMEs are not only strengthening naval capability but are also opening pathways for direct procurement byIndian Army, Indian Air Force, India CoastGuard and CAPFs - reflecting a true whole-of-defence approach that harnesses innovation across the Armed Forces. The plenary session also witnessed the felicitation of 10 iDEX winners and the release of key documents - Compendium of Indian Naval Technological Challenges & Problem Statements, Swavlamban 4.0 Document and Armament Indigenisation Compendium - by the Raksha Mantri.
Power and Strength through Indigenisation and Innovation.
