Pravaig's VEER Wins Defence Award: Boost for Make-in-India

New Delhi, Mar 11 (PTI) Bengaluru-based EV startup Pravaig's all-terrain stealth electric vehicle, VEER, has been honoured with the prestigious iDEX award from the Ministry of Defence, recognising the technological innovation in its design that supports forward patrolling and ISR operations.

Atima Corporation, a subsidiary of Pravaig, has been conferred with the prestigious iDEX Award for its VEER electric tactical all-terrain vehicle (E-TATV) by the Defence Innovation Organisation (DIO), under the aegis of the Department of Defence Production in the Ministry of Defence, "for deepening India's sovereignty by building cutting edge defence technologies and reinforcing the country's strategic autonomy," the firm said in a statement.

The scheme for iDEX-Innovations for Defence Excellence was launched in May 2021 by DIO to foster innovation and technology development in the defence sector.

Technology dependency on foreign entities proved to be an Achilles' heel for not just Ukraine but even India as evidenced by the GPS denial by the US during the Kargil War.

The iDEX Award is conferred for deepening India's sovereignty by building cutting-edge defence technologies and reinforcing the country's strategic autonomy. The mission is clear - to ensure that India builds, owns, and operates its own advanced defence systems, free from external control.

Pravaig VEER is "built in India, for India", the statement said.

"With the Pravaig VEER, India is asserting its control over critical military technologies, ensuring full sovereignty over its national security infrastructure," it said.

VEER has class-leading stealth and is extremely powerful, military-grade and fully field-repairable. India will have complete data ownership with no foreign control.

The vehicle has been field tested at difficult terrains and altitudes.

"Pravaig builds products that leapfrog India's capabilities," it said.

The startup also manufactures high-precision batteries for EVs.