Defence ministry restricts import of 351 more items for ‘Make in India’ push

The defence ministry on Wednesday announced curbs on the import of 351 systems and components under a staggered timeframe beginning December 2022 to boost indigenisation in defence manufacturing and to ensure foreign exchange savings of ₹3,000 crore a year.

This was the third such list issued by the defence ministry in the past 16 months as part of efforts to make India a hub for developing and manufacturing military hardware. The ministry issued a separate list of 2,500 imported items that it said had already been indigenised.

The curbs on the import of 351 items – including components such as a missile approach warning sensor, shells, propellants, electrical parts, missile containers, a torpedo tube launcher and a gun fire control system – will kick in over the next three years.

The import of 172 systems and components will be stopped from December 2022, while curbs on another batch of 89 items will come into effect from December 2023. The import of a further 90 items will be stopped from December 2024. Once the restrictions take effect, these items can be procured only from Indian industries.

“A positive indigenisation list of sub-systems/assemblies/sub-assemblies/components has been notified by Department of Defence Production, Ministry of Defence, as part of the efforts to achieve self-reliance in defence manufacturing and minimise imports by Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs),” an official statement said.

“This Aatmanirbhar (self-reliance) initiative will save foreign exchange approximately equivalent to ₹3,000 cr every year,” it added.