Defence Ministry approves acquisition of weapon systems worth ₹28,000 crore

New Delhi: The Defence Acquisition Council, headed by the Defence Minister, Rajnath Singh, today approved proposals for acquisition of weapons worth ₹28,000 crore required by the Indian Army, the Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force.

Of these acquisitions, equipment worth ₹27,000 crore will be sourced from India industry in an attempt to boost the Make in India and Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiatives by the government, Rajnath said.

Today’s meeting was the first for DAC under the new regime of Defence Acquisition Procedure 2020. Additionally, the steps taken at the meeting are the first set of Acceptance of Necessity (AoNs) with majority of them being accorded to the category of Indigenously Designed Developed and Manufactured (IDDM).

The proposals that have been approved today include Airborne Early Warning & Control (AEW&C) Systems for the Indian Air Force designed and developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). Next Generation Offshore Patrol Vessels for the Indian Navy and Modular Bridges for the Indian Army are the other acquisition proposals approved by the Defence Ministry’s body.

“Five cases valued at ₹25000 Crore are approved under indigenous design development and manufacture category. Particularly note worthy are the Defence Research and Development Organisation designed and developed Airborne Early Warning and Control Systems (AEW&CS) for the Air Force and modular bridges for the Army,” the ministry tweeted.

Earlier, a Mint report has said the DAC has previously delegated powers to make emergency purchases worth up to ₹300 crores to the three services “to meet their emergent operational requirements.”

The devolution of financial powers to the three services comes against the backdrop of ongoing military tensions with China. (PTI)