Former HAL chairman says ‘Make in India’ must turn innovations into useful civil, defence products

A lot has been spoken about Make in India since the time it became a part of India’s political lexicon. And adding his opinion to the debate at a recent event in IIT Bombay was T Suvarna Raju, the ex-chairman of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited. He told the audience that while everyone knows what the concept of Make in India is, it isn’t just a question of coming up with an idea.

“While Make in India is good, you need to turn your innovations into industrialisation or a product that will be useful for a civil or military purpose,” he said. “While we have a good start to make a breakthrough innovation, it needs to be materialised into an industrial product. There are a lot of steps before you reach your customer. You need to push your product till it reaches the customer you had in mind.”

Some of the assets that help you reach this goal, he said are perseverance and a lot of patience. “You must have the perseverance to push your product and to realise your dreams through industrialisation,” Raju said. “Also you cannot compromise on the quality. Often the first time you order something, it’s really good. But when you receive a batch with defects, this is not going to work.”