70 projects have been approved for various industries with a total cost of Rs 291.25 crore under the TDF scheme

70 projects have been approved for various industries with a total cost of Rs 291.25 crore under the TDF scheme.
Under the Ministry of Defence, the Technology Development Fund (TDF) Scheme is a flagship program, which is implemented by DRDO under the ‘Make in India’ initiative.
At present, 70 projects have been approved for various industries with a total cost of Rs 291.25 crore, and 16 Defence technologies have been successfully developed/realized under the scheme.
The following are the main objectives of this scheme:
To provide grants-in-aid to Indian industries, including MSMEs and start-ups, as well as to academic and scientific institutions for the development of the Defence sector and dual-use technologies, which are not currently available to the Indian Defence industry.
To engage with private industries, especially MSMEs and startups, to promote a culture of design and development in military technology and provide them support, including grants-in-aid.
To focus on research, design, and development for specific technologies being developed for the first time in the country.
To build a bridge between the armed forces, research organisations, academia, and qualification/certification agencies with private entities.
Supporting future technologies that have proof of concept and converting them into prototypes.