New Delhi, Dec. 6 -- A total of 79 projects, costing Rs 334.02 crore, have so far been sanctioned to various industries under the Technology Development Fund (TDF) scheme for the development of defence technologies. Additionally, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has established 15 Industry Academia Centres of Excellence (DIA-CoEs) across the country, Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth informed in a written reply to Ananta Nayak in the Lok Sabha on Friday.

The Technology Development Fund Scheme is a flagship programme of the Ministry of Defence (MoD) executed by DRDO under the 'Make in India' initiative. The Union Government has approved the scheme to encourage industries, especially MSMEs and startups, to d...