PUNE (PTI): In order to boost indigenous defence production and facilitate interaction with industry, the Army's Southern Command on Tuesday formally launched the first Regional Technology Node (RTN) at Pune.

A defence release said the launch event included a start-up forum by the Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers (SIDM). The event was organized by Headquarters Southern Command along with SIDM.

Held in hybrid mode, the event was live-streamed and attended by representatives of more than 100 industries, start-ups and Army establishments from across the country, it said.

Delivering the keynote address, Lieutenant General JS Nain, GOC-in-C, Southern Command, emphasized the timely absorption of cutting edge technologies for military modernization, achieving self-reliance in defence manufacturing as well as the role of Indian industry in it.

Among those present were Jayant D Patil, President SIDM, Major General Kirti Jauhar, Additional Director General of the Army Design Bureau, S P Shukla, Vice President SIDM, Abhishek Jain, Chairman, SIDM Start-up Forum and Col Rajinder Singh Bhatia (Retd), President & CEO (Defence), Bharat Forge Limited.