A third Positive Indigenisation list is expected soon, says Modi
Contract worth Rs.54,000 crore have been signed for domestic procurement for made in India defence equipment while procurement process for more than Rs.450,000 crore is at various stages, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at a post-Budget webinar on 25 Feb 2022.
“Transparent, time-bound, pragmatic and fair systems of trial, testing and certification are essential to the growth of a vibrant defence industry,” he stressed to participants at the ‘Aatmnirbharta in Defence – Call to Action’ webinar organized by the Defence Ministry.
He also stressed the importance of customization and uniqueness of the defence systems for having a surprise element over the adversaries.
“Uniqueness and surprise elements can only happen when the equipment is developed in your own country,” said Modi, pointing out that this year’s budget has a blueprint for developing a vibrant ecosystem from research, design and development to manufacturing within the country.
About 70% of the defence budget has been kept for domestic industry only, he underlined.
The defence Ministry has, so far, released Positive Indigenization Lists of more than 200 defence Platforms and Equipments. Third list is expected soon, he said.
The Prime Minister noted that cyber security is no longer confined to the digital world but has become a subject of national security. “The more we deploy our formidable IT power in the defence sector, the more confident we will be regarding our security”, he said.
Noting the competition among the defence manufacturers for contracts, Modi said that it often led to money-focus and corruption. A lot of confusion was created with regard to quality and desirability of weapons. Aatmnirbhar Bharat Abhiyan tackles this problem also, he said.
“We have increased defence exports 6 times in the last 5-6 years. Today we are providing Made in India Défense Equipments and Services to more than 75 countries,” he said.
The Prime Minister lauded the ordnance factories for being a shining example of progress with determination, and expressed happiness that 7 new defence undertaking that were incorporated last years are rapidly expanding their business and reaching new markets.
He also wants the private sector to come on par with DRDO and defence PSUs, hence 25% of defence R&D budget has been kept for Industry, Start-ups and Academia. Special Purpose Vehicle model has also been arranged in the budget.
“This will establish the role of the private industry as a partner beyond just a vendor or supplier”, he said.
Modi exhorted the stakeholders to come forward with new ideas for timely implementation of the budget provisions.
He asked them to take full advantage of the advancement of the budget date by one month in recent years and hit the ground running when date of budget implementation arrives. fiinews.com
