New Delhi: Regretting that countries in neighbourhood guilty of missile and nuclear proliferation have not attracted sanctions, Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee on May 11 asserted India has to depend on in-house technology to develop major Defence and dual-use items whose potential have been graphically demonstrated in recent wars.

"Some (guilty countries) even continue to receive liberal economic assistance," he said in an apparent reference to Pakistan and China.

This, he said, was in sharp contrast to India, which has strictly exercised a self-imposed restraint on transfer of nuclear, missile and dual-use technologies and material.

"We have denied ourselves many lucrative contracts and joint ventures. We have never received any recognition for this," Vajpayee told the country's top Defence scientists after presenting the annual Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) awards on the National Technology Day, marking the 1998 Pokhran nuclear tests.

While lauding the achievements like development of 700-km-range nuclear-capable Agni-I missile, supersonic BrahMos cruise missile and Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), the Prime Minister warned that the nation has to realise that these technological breakthroughs could be short-lived unless newer capacities are constantly developed in cutting-edge technologies.

"There can be no respite. War fighting technologies are constantly being upgraded. Recent military conflicts in our neighbourhood have graphically demonstrated this. They underline the importance of overwhelming technological superiority over an adversary. Technological innovation is a continuing imperative," he said.

Observing that combating terrorism effectively required specialised technical means, Vajpayee said development of technologies for countering the menace should be a "priority" of Defence research and development establishments.

He further said, "Until a more equitable and free technology regime is adopted by the world, we will have to depend on indigenous technology development for major Defence and dual-use items." Referring to the Pokhran nuclear tests five years ago, the Prime Minister said, "It was a difficult political decision in response to the harsh realities of our security environment.

"Our tests were also a major technological achievement in the face of stringent sanctions and technology import restrictions," he said, reminding that sanctions against India did not begin with the 1998 nuclear tests and were first imposed after the 1974 tests even though India was not party to the discriminatory non-proliferation treaty.

Vajpayee said a few years later, other sanctions were added on under equally discriminatory missiles technology control regimes and maintained that many of the sanctions of '70s and the '80s remain in place even today.

Turning to his recent visit to Bangalore to witness the demonstration of indigenous LCA christened 'Tejas', he said, "It was a major technological feat after years of trials, disappointments and doubts."

Similarly, he said, the country's scientists and engineers had also achieved breakthroughs in civilian fields like manufacture of advanced satellites with sophisticated payloads.

Stating that India was heading towards self-reliance in launching geo-synchronous satellites, the Prime Minister said in Geo-Synchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV), India had a product of highly complex multi-disciplinary system incorporating diverse specialisations.

"Our imagery techniques compare with the best in the world. Our skills in information technology do not need elaboration. We can confidently say today we are at the vanguard of the knowledge revolution which is powering globalisation," he said.

Stressing that technologies developed for Defence hardware should be fully tapped for civilian applications, Vajpayee said DRDO had initiated some moves in this direction. Citing 'Saras', which will be India's first 14-seater passenger aircraft, and 'Sanjivini', a portable life-detecting device for rescue missions, he emphasised the need for greater collaboration and cross-pollination between the Defence sector and Indian industry.

PTI