BJP on Wednesday claimed that the country under Prime Minister Modi is making strides in ‘Make in India’ movement in defence and it is reflected in the government's approval of Rs 31,130 crore defence procurements from Indian industry.
Addressing a press conference here, BJP National General Secretary P Muralidhar Rao said India’s focus on indigenous manufacturing in the defence space is “paying off” as the Ministry of Defence over the last two years unveiled several products manufactured in India like the HAL Tejas Light Combat Aircraft, the composites Sonar dome, a Portable Telemedicine System (PDF) for Armed Forces, Protective Gears, Penetration-cum-Blast (PCB) and Thermobaric (TB) ammunition specifically designed for Arjun tanks.
“India has begun exporting bulletproof jackets as per its own standards, which conform to international norms, to over 100 countries, including European nations, according to the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS)”, said the BJP leader.
BJP leader’s assertion came amidst a flurry of defence buying by the government in the wake of India-China stand-off on the line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh and the recent visit of Defence Minster to Russia.
Rao said “now we are witnessing ‘Make in India’ impact in defence production.” He said Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) has approved Capital acquisition of various platforms & equipment worth Rs 38,900 crore.
DAC is headed by the defence minister and aims at quick acquisition of arms and equipment required by the defence forces by cutting through bureaucratic bottlenecks.
“Focus on indigenous design and development; acquisitions from Indian industry worth Rs 31,130 crore already done for reinforcing India’s defences. The DAC also cleared a project to upgrade the army’s fleet of 1,500 BMP-2 infantry combat vehicles. FDI under automatic route increased from 49% to 74%”, he said.
In order to further encourage procurement from local suppliers, 26 items out of 127 already notified, have now been notified under clause 3(a) of the Public Procurement (Preference to Make in India) Order 2017 and henceforth procuring entities shall procure these items only from local suppliers, irrespective of purchase value, provided that the local suppliers meet the Minimum Local Content (MLC) as prescribed for each item, Rao said.
BJP leader said, Cabinet has approved far reaching reforms in the Space sector aimed at boosting private sector participation in the entire range of space activities on June 24, 2020.
“The decision taken is in line with the long-term vision of the Prime Minister of transforming India and making the country self-reliant and technologically advanced. The Cabinet also approved setting up of a new space board called Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe).