<span style="color: #222222;">Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday inaugurated the Air Force Commanders' Conference AFCC at Air Headquarters in New Delhi. The conference was attended by Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt and Defence Secretary Dr Ajay Kumar along with senior commanders of the Indian Air Force.<br />''<br />''Speaking on the occasion, the Defence Minister praised the Indian Air Force's evacuation effort in Operation Ganga which has been appreciated by the Country. He brought out that the current geopolitical situation has again highlighted the need for indigenisation.  <br />''<br />''The Chief of the Indian Air Force, Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari, subsequently addressed the commanders and asked them to be ready to meet all challenges and enhance capabilities for responding in multiple domains at short notice.  <br />''<br />''To provide a boost to the growing indigenous drone industry, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh launched the "MEHAR BABA COMPETITION – II". The competition is aimed at developing technology for a "Swarm Drone based system to detect Foreign Objects on Aircraft Operating Surfaces".<br />''<br />''During the three-day conference, the Air Force Commanders will discuss important issues related to future challenges in a Hi-tech and evolving operational scenario. The theme for this Conference is 'Optimising human resources' and the focus will be on conduct of operations in a smart and efficient manner. Mitigation of threats posed by drones will also be brainstormed during the conference.</span><br />