Modi Govt's Aatmanirbhar Bharat Push: Forces to get Rs 84,560 crore Made-in-India equipment

To boost the capabilities of the Indian Armed Forces and the Indian Coast Guard, the Defence Acquisition Council, or DAC, under the chairmanship of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh Thursday cleared capital acquisition proposals worth Rs 84,560 crore .

“In the true spirit of ‘Aatmanirbharta’, the approvals accorded on February 16, 2024 lay special emphasis on procurement of various equipment from Indian vendors,” the Ministry of Defence said.

The proposals include new generation anti-tank mines, Air Defence Tactical Control Radar, Heavy Weight Torpedoes, Medium Range Maritime Reconnaissance and Multi-Mission Maritime Aircraft, Flight Refueller Aircraft and Software Defined Radios.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also informed that the amendments in Defence Acquisition Procedure 2020 were also cleared by DAC to promote procurement of advanced technologies from Start-Ups and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).

“These steps will provide the much-needed incentive to the start-ups and MSMEs and promote ‘Ease of Doing Business’ in India,” the Defence Minister said.

The DAC meeting today cleared capital acquisition proposals worth Rs 84,560 crore to boost the capabilities of the Armed Forces & Indian Coast Guard.
⁰The Amendments in Defence Acquisition Procedure 2020 were also cleared to promote procurement of advanced technologies from…

— Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) February 16, 2024

Boosting capabilities of Indian Armed Forces

The DAC Thursday accorded approval for Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) under the category of Buy (Indian-Indigenously Designed Developed and Manufactured, or IDDM) for procurement of a new generation of anti-tank mines having seismic sensor and provision of remote deactivation with additional safety features.

The AoN under Buy (Indian-IDDM) category has been accorded for procurement of Canister Launched Anti-Armour Loiter Munition System. This will help enhance the operational efficiency and domination in the Tactical Battle Area for engaging targets that are Beyond Visual Line of Sight by the Mechanised Forces.

Strengthening Air Defence Systems

The AoN has been accorded for procurement of Air Defence Tactical Control Radar under Buy (Indian-IDDM) category. This has been done to strengthen the Air Defence Systems, especially the capabilities to detect slow, small and low-flying targets as well as surveillance, detection and tracking of different targets.

AoN granted for Indian Navy & Indian Coast Guard

Also, the DAC has granted the AoN for procurement of Medium Range Maritime Reconnaissance and Multi-Mission Maritime Aircraft, through Buy and Make category. This has been done to strengthen the surveillance and interdiction capabilities of the Indian Navy and the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) over the country’s vast maritime area.

To keep the Indian Naval Ships one step ahead of the threats posed by the adversaries, the AoN under Buy (Indian) category has been accorded for procurement of Active Towed Array Sonar having capabilities to operate at low frequencies and various depths for long range detections of adversary submarines.

AoN for procurement of heavy weight torpedoes

The AoN has also been accorded for procurement of Heavy Weight Torpedoes for enhancing the attacking capabilities of Kalvari Class submarines. The AoN for sustainment support through Follow On Support (FOS) and Repair Replenishment support through Follow On Supply Support (FOSS) for 24 MH60R aircraft under Foreign Military Sale route with the US Government has also been accorded.

The DAC has also accorded AoN for procurement of Flight Refueller Aircraft for enhancing the operational capabilities and reach of the Indian Air Force.

The AoN under Buy (Indian-IDDM) category for procurement of Software Defined Radios for the ICG has also been granted. "This will fulfill the requirement of the ICG for having a high-speed communication with secure networking capability for seamless information exchange between the ICG and the Indian Navy units," the Ministry of Defence said.

DAC Approves Amendments in Defence Acquisition Procedure

The DAC has also approved amendments in the Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) 2020 with respect to benchmarking and cost computation, payment schedule, procurement quantity etc. Thie will help create a friendly defence start-up ecosystem and promote procurement of Advanced technologies from start-ups and MSMEs developed under the Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) and Technology Development Fund schemes.

The Defence Minister said, "This will provide the much-needed incentive along with a supportive business environment for the start-ups and MSMEs under iDEX and TDF schemes, truly in the spirit of ‘Ease of Doing Business’."

Defence Push in Budget 2024

In the recently announced Interim Budget 2024, the Government of India, Rs 6.21 lakh crore have been allocated to Ministry of Defence in, 4.72 per cent more than FY 2023-24 allocation of Rs 5.94 lakh crore.

The amount allocated to the Defence Ministry accounted for 13.04 per cent of total Union Budget, which was presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Parliament on 1 February, 2024.