New Delhi: The defence ministry, in a significant move to boost Atmanirbharta in Defence approved the procurement of military equipment and platforms worth Rs 76,390 crore from domestic industries. The procurement proposals were approved on June 6 by the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh for military modernization projects including the Navy’s next-generation corvettes.
According to the ministry statement, the DAC accorded approval for the procurement of next generation corvettes (NGCs) for the Indian Navy at an estimated cost of around Rs 36,000 crore. These NGCs will be versatile platforms for a variety of roles namely surveillance missions, escort operations, deterrence, Surface Action Group (SAG) operations, search and attack and coastal defence. The NGCs would be constructed based on a new in-house design of the Indian Navy, using latest technology of ship building.
A proposal for the manufacture of Dornier aircraft and Su-30 MKI aero-engines by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) with a focus on enhancing indigenisation was also approved by the DAC.
The DAC accorded a fresh approval for the procurement of Rough Terrain Fork Lift Trucks (RTFLTs), Bridge Laying Tanks (BLTs), Wheeled Armoured Fighting Vehicles (Wh AFVs) with Anti-Tank Guided Missiles (ATGMs) and Weapon Locating Radars (WLRs) through domestic sources, with an emphasis on indigenous design and development For the Indian Army.
The ‘Digital Coast Guard’ project under the ‘Buy (Indian) Category’ was approved by the DAC, in line with the government’s aim for digital transformation in defence. This project would develop a pan-India secure network for the digitization of different surface and aviation operations, logistics, finance, and HR procedures in the Coast Guard.
“In pursuance of the government’s vision for digital transformation in defence, ‘Digital Coast Guard’ project under ‘Buy’ (Indian) category has been approved by the DAC. Under this project, a pan-India secure network for digitising of various surface and aviation operations, logistics, finance and HR processes in Coast Guard will be established,” the ministry said in its statement.
The approval of the capital acquisition proposals of the armed forces in ‘Buy (Indian)’, ‘Buy & Make (Indian)’ and ‘Buy (Indian-IDDM)’ categories will provide the Indian defence industry a big boost. It will also help in reducing expenditure on defence equipment imports.
