Sukhmani Kooner, Pune
The Defence Ministry approved 9 procurement proposals for military hardware on 15th of September taking India a step towards its goal of achieving Aatmanirbhar Bharat, an initiative by the Indian government to make India self-reliant.
The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) is the topmost decision-making body under the Defence Ministry which decides policies and capital acquisitions for Army, Air Force, Navy and Coast Guard. Its chairman, the Defence Minister, Rajnath Singh, in the meeting, with the consultation of the Indian Industry of Defence Manufacturers, instructed the top officials to raise the minimum indigenous content threshold. Earlier the IDDM indigenous content threshold was set at 50% but now it has been raised to a minimum of 60-65%.
The Defence Ministry confirmed that the procurement would be made from Indian vendors in the Buy (Indian) category. Indian-Indigenously Designed, Developed and Manufactured is an initiative to promote indigenous designs for procurement of capital equipment. With the boost in the defence budget by 10% this year, various weapons systems, missiles and fighter jet procurement has been made aiming to work along Make in India.
In the latest acquisition – Dhruvastra, which is a short-range air-to-surface missile, will be built for the indigenously built Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) Mk-IV and 12 Su-30 MKI fighter jets will be acquired at a cost of around Rs 45,000 crore along with supporting equipment from Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).
The DAC also approved the procurement of Light Armoured Multipurpose Vehicles (LAMV) and Integrated Surveillance and Targeting System (ISAT-S) to enhance mobility and to expand the survivability of mechanised forces.
For the Indian Navy, the DAC approved procurement of next generation survey vessels.
Indian Air Force’s Dornier aircraft, developed by HAL, which is in active service, has been serving the IAF since July 1982. It is a utility as well as a trainer aircraft which will see an avionic upgrade to improve its accuracy and hence its operational utility.
With China’s looming threat on India’s sovereignty and the escalating tensions in Eastern Ladakh, India needs the intensification of protection. The enhancement of its attack capabilities will aid in defending the borders against any threat successfully.