India will notify a new list of weapons & system, says PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that customisation and uniqueness of military hardware was critical to hold the advantage of surprise over India’s adversaries and it could be achieved only if weapons and systems are developed in the country. For uniqueness and surprise element, military equipment has to be developed in our own country. Modi said, the government is continuously working to create an indigenous ecosystem for the development of defence equipment in the country by emphasizing self-reliance and Make in India. Prime Minister on Friday delivered the inaugural address at a post-budget webinar on Aatmanirbharta in Defence-Call to Action.

Speaking on how the Budget will help further self-reliance in defence sector, Modi said, about 70 percent of the defense budget has been kept for domestic industry. He said, more than 350 new industrial licenses have been issued for defense manufacturing in the last seven years which shows commitment towards Make in India. He added that only 200 licenses were issued within the span of 14 years from 2001 to 2014. He said, seven new Defense Public Undertakings have been created in last year which are expanding business rapidly and reaching new markets. The Prime Minister said, contracts of around 54 thousand crore rupees have been signed for domestic procurement. He added that the procurement process related to equipment worth more than 4.5 lakh crore rupees is in different stages.

Modi said in earlier times, controversies and allegations of kickbacks were linked to imported weapons due to competition among foreign vendors who often launched campaigns to target the products of their rivals. “This created confusion, doubts and even opened doors for corruption. A lot of confusion was created over which weapon is good, which is not…which is useful and which is not. Atmanirbharta is the solution to this problem too,” he said. Modi said India would soon notify a new list of weapons and systems that cannot be imported to promote self-reliance in the defence sector. This will be the third positive indigenisation list --- the government has already notified two lists of 209 weapons and equipment that cannot be imported.The Prime Minister said, transparent, time-bound, pragmatic, and fair systems of trial, testing, and certification are essential to the growth of vibrant defense industry. 

A list of equipment that will only be made in India has been made public. We have signed contracts worth Rs 54,000 crore worth of another Rs 2.50 lakh crore worth of contracts in pipeline. When we import the procurement process is so long that it’s outdated by the time it is acquired. The changes in war fighting technology mean raid changes in equipment, he said.