The Aryavarth Express
Agency(New Delhi): The Indian Government has implemented several action plans to fortify the nation’s defence ecosystem. A key focus is encouraging Indian industries, both public and private, to engage in the design, development, and manufacturing of Defence Systems. This initiative is guided by the ‘Make Procedure’ outlined in chapter-III of the Defence Acquisition Procedure 2020 (DAP-2020), which also includes provisions for financial assistance for prototype development.
A significant development is the introduction of the Green Channel Policy for the procurement of Defence stores and spares. This policy awards Green Channel status to firms with predefined financial and quality credentials, offering a waiver of pre-dispatch inspection and acceptance of stores under the supplier’s guarantee/warranty. This is applicable for contracts concluded by various Procurement Agencies under the Ministry of Defence.
To boost domestic defence manufacturing, two Defence Industrial Corridors (DICs) have been established in Uttar Pradesh (UPDIC) and Tamil Nadu (TNDIC). These corridors aim to attract investment in defence industries, develop domestic supply chains, and strengthen the overall defence manufacturing ecosystem in the country.
The Defence Testing Infrastructure Scheme has been launched to promote indigenous defence production, with a special focus on MSMEs and startups. This scheme aims to bridge gaps in defence testing infrastructure in India by setting up Greenfield Defence Testing Infrastructure as a common test facility with government assistance.
The Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) initiative has been introduced to encourage startups and MSMEs to innovate and develop technologies for defence and aerospace. This initiative aims to create an ecosystem that fosters innovation and technology development in Defence and Aerospace, involving R&D institutes and academia. It provides grants, funding, and other support for R&D with potential future adoption in Indian defence and aerospace needs.
The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has established a procedure for transferring its developed technologies to industries through Licensing Agreement for Transfer of Technology (LAToT). DRDO’s new ToT policy includes zero ToT fee for its industry partners and zero royalty for supplies to the Indian Armed Forces and Government Departments. Additionally, DRDO labs have opened their test facilities to industries and have launched the Technology Development Fund (TDF) to financially support Indian industries in designing and developing innovative defence products.
The government is also engaging the youth in defence innovation and technology development. Startups under the iDEX scheme focus on defence and aerospace, and young engineers are involved through Defence PSUs’ tie-ups with Centres of Excellence and Academic Institutes for various R&D and manufacturing projects. DRDO has established 15 DRDO Industry Academia-Centres of Excellence (DIA-CoEs) at various institutes, with six operationalized in 2023. The DPSUs and private sectors are recruiting trained youths with specializations for various defence sector projects.
This comprehensive information was provided by Raksha Rajya Mantri Shri Ajay Bhatt in a written reply to Shri S Jagathrakshakan in the Lok Sabha.
