In a major move towards indigenisation, the government Friday scrapped some major defence procurements from abroad, including helicopters for the Coast Guard, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), and short range missiles, among others, ThePrint has learnt.
Sources in the defence and security establishment told ThePrint that the issue of procurement under Buy (Global) category came up for discussion during the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) meeting chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
Under the Buy (Global) category, procurement is done directly from the foreign Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM).
The sources said the decision taken Friday will not impact deals already inked under the Buy (Global) route, those being pursued under the government-to-government route and the Foreign Military sales (FMS) route with the US.
They also said that foreign OEMs are now welcome to tie up with Indian firms or set up their own factories to not only supply the Indian military but also for other countries.
Sources said the defence services were earlier asked to prepare a list of procurement plans from abroad that could be replaced by indigenous items.
Accordingly, each service — Army, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard — had come forward with a list of such items.
Facebook Comments