Samir V Kamat, Secretary of the Department of Defence R&D and Chairman of DRDO, emphasized the crucial role of the MSME sector in achieving the government's target of increasing indigenous content in the defence and aerospace sector to over 70% in the next 3-4 years. Kamat highlighted DRDO's initiatives to support the MSME sector, including the Technology Development Fund (TDF). The TDF scheme provides funding, mentorship, and hand-holding to MSMEs, aiming to elevate technologies from TRL levels 3-4 to 6-7 for product development and market entry. The funding limit under TDF has been increased from Rs 10 crore to Rs 50 crore per project, encouraging MSMEs to leverage the scheme for indigenous development in defence manufacturing. EEPC India Chairman, Arun Kumar Garodia, praised DRDO's support for MSMEs, emphasizing its role in fostering a robust defence manufacturing sector through R&D innovations and collaborations.