Government aims Rs. 1,80,000cr turnover from military services by 2025
The government will soon launch a policy aimed at making India one of the top five military equipment manufacturers in 10 years. Sources said the defense production policy (DPP-2018), expected to be unveiled next month, is being given final touches. According to the draft, the government is aiming a turnover of Rs. 1,80,000cr in military goods and services by 2025.
Both public and private sectors to be engaged
According to officials, a major focus of the DPP will be development of critical technology for manufacturing state-of-the-art military equipment, like fighter jets, attack helicopters and weaponry, which were being imported since the last 60 years. Another goal would be to simplify the procurement process by trimming the multi-layer approval process. Both public and private sectors will be roped in for these tasks.
12 platforms identified for indigenous military production
The government has identified 12 platforms and weapons systems for indigenous production to achieve the goal of self-reliance: these include fighter aircraft, utility helicopters, warships, land combat vehicles, gun systems, ammunition and explosives, and surveillance systems, among others. The draft policy released in March says the licensing process will be liberalized and the list of items needing licenses pruned.
In last 5 years, India was largest importer of military-hardware
India was the largest importer of military hardware in the last five years, a Swedish think thank report released in March said: imports of weapons increased by 111% in these five years compared to 2004-08, it added. According to official figures, India signed 187 military contracts worth Rs. 2.4L crore in the last four years. However, procedural delays have hit most of these.
