The India Center Hosts Conference on Capturing Change in India
The India Center welcomes former Defense Secretary of India, Ajay Kumar, for virtual keynote address.
By Liliana Hogan | May 2, 2025
On April 3rd, The India Center hosted its annual conference, “Capturing Change in India: Technological Transitions, Economic Transformations and Evolving Global Footprint”, which featured panelists, including Shahana Sheikh, Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Center for the Advanced Study of India at the University of Pennsylvania, Trisha Ray, Associate Director and resident fellow at the Atlantic Council’s GeoTech Center, Akanksha Golchha, fellow with the Chair on India and Emerging Asia Economics at CSIS, Chaithanya Renduchintala, Assistant Professor at the Rosen College of Hospitality Management, Neelima Jain, Director of the States Initiative at UC Berkeley’s Indian Energy and Climate Center, Shantanu Khanna, Assistant Professor of Public Policy and Economics at Northeastern University, Sameer Lalwani, non-resident senior fellow with the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, Zachary Constantino, Practitioner Fellow at the University of British Columbia’s School of Public Policy and Global Affairs and Aditi Malhotra, Fellow at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute and the Centre for International and Defense Policy, who highlighted developments in some of India’s key fields and the role the nation may play on the global stage in the future.
Esteemed panelists had a range of expertise, providing the conference with well-rounded coverage of topics related to economics, technology, defense and security, and international relations.
The keynote address was given by Ajay Kumar, former Defense Secretary of India, who reflected on the theme of this year’s conference.
His address entitled, “From Assembly to Innovation: India’s Defense Industry Transformation Through Innovation for Defense Excellence (iDEX)”, explained the role of start-up companies play in driving pivotal shifts in India’s defense industry.
Kumar was the Chief Architect of iDEX while serving as Defense Secretary, he shares the unique insight he gained from these consecutive roles.
“For the first time India is not merely an importer of defense equipment but has also become a defense exporter,” Kumar says.
To contextualize the strength of the country’s ongoing defense industry transformation, Kumar says the country’s defense exports have grown exponentially since 2016.
“India’s defense export has grown from 14 billion Indian Rupees in 2016-2017 to nearly 250 Indian Rupees in this financial year.”
Kumar discussed India’s move to develop technology by Indian start-up companies rather than relying on exported technology developed by other countries.
Kumar’s address provided a foundation for the rest of the conference, with panels focused on innovation in technology, economic development, and India’s global role.
Watch Kumar’s keynote address below:
