By Vritika Mathur
Nirmala Sitharaman, the chairman of Defence Acquisitions Council (DAC) of India recently gave clearance to the proposal of procuring?7.40 lakh assault rifles, 5,719 sniper rifles and 16,500 light machine guns (LMG), the collective worth of which rounds up to an estimated Rs. 15,935 crore. Most of the equipment is announced to be procured and manufactured in India giving a major boost to the ?Make in India? campaign.
While the procedure is a slow and detailed one and can take a few years, the DAC has approved the ?Fast Track Procedure (FTP)? for the purchase of the light machine guns. They will be acquired from the global market at a cost of Rs. 1,819 crore. This order comes under the ?Buy and Make (Indian)? category. “A concurrent proposal is being processed for the remaining LMGs under the Buy and Make (Indian) categorisation through a tie-up between an Indian vendor and a foreign armament company,” said an official.? ? ?
This acquisition comes in light of an increased tension between India and its neighbours, Pakistan and China. Along the Line of Control (LOC), hostilities have risen after the terror attack on Sunjuwan Army Camp in Jammu. Further, China has been displaying aggressive posturing in several sectors along the nearly 4,000-km-long Sino-India border. Even though the Army, the Navy and the air force together require a great supply of LMG?s, the initial purchase will aim to only meet the requirements of the troops deployed on these borders.?
Progress of Make in India in the defence sector
In a bid to be completely self-reliant, the Make in India initiative has unveiled several projects in the defence sector that encourage improving domestic defence manufacturing. For example, in cases of procurement of equipment, preferential treatment is given to ?Buy (Indian)? and ?Buy and make (Indian)? over ?Buy (Global)?.?One of the other initiatives was centred on Gujarat?s Defence Manufacturing policy. The government stated that Gujarat, through this policy, would attempt to build up its economy by grabbing a share in the Indian defence production. The state government will then try and attract investments from defence sector companies for building warships, submarines, and aircrafts, among others.??
Measures for self-reliance
The first step to self-reliance is to ensure prevention of any back logging when it comes to contracts. The biggest struggle in India is red tapism entailing a huge amount of time spent between the proposal being heard and the final deal being signed.? The government must also push the development of skills in designing and manufacturing sector across a multitude of products at home. A shortage of skilled workforce hinders any growth the sector could hope for. IT has now become an urgent requirement to upgrade the existing facilities and train the current workforce. Skill development is essential for achieving self-reliance. Further, private firms should be allowed to enter the defence market and solicit their wares to both, the national and international market. This?can ensure that India is self-sufficient in the field of arms and well equipped with the latest technologies.?
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