Government has finalized the policy on Strategic Partnerships in the Defence Sector. The same has been promulgated on 31.05.2017 as Chapter VII of Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) 2016 as “Revitalising Defence Industrial Ecosystem through Strategic Partnerships”. (The Chapter has been uploaded on Ministry of Defence website: https://www.mod.nic.in/)

The Policy is intended to encourage broader participation of the private sector, in addition to DPSUs / OFB, in the manufacture of defence platforms and equipment. The following four segments have been identified for acquisition under Strategic Partnership route:

Fighter Aircraft
Helicopters
Submarines
Armoured Fighting Vehicles (AFVs)
Main Battle Tanks (MBTs).

The Policy will serve to enhance competition, increase efficiencies, facilitate faster and more significant absorption of technology, create a tiered industrial ecosystem, ensure development of a wider skill base and trigger innovation, leading to reduction in dependence on imports and greater self-reliance in meeting national security objectives.

Make-In-India

Defence technology of any nation spawns a wide spectrum of technologies. While some technologies may be ‘state of the art’, some other may not be so. It is always an endeavour to optimise this ‘mix’, keeping our threat perceptions in mind. As technologies evolve, defence equipment are upgraded / replaced and this is a continuous process.

The ‘Make in India’ initiative of the Government has recognised Defence Sector as one of the priority sectors. It is an initiative that aims to achieve self-reliance for the country in defence manufacturing and equipping the forces with the best possible equipment. The Government is pursuing several initiatives under ‘Make in India’ to achieve higher levels of indigenisation and self-reliance in the defence sector.

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