Defence Minister bans 101 import items in support of Aatmanirbhar Bharat movement
Newsletter Week 33: (10 Aug- 16 Aug’20)
In support to the Aatmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India) movement, on Sunday, the defence minister Rajnath Singh announced on twitter that the MoD (Ministry of Defense) has prepared a list of 101 items for which there would be an embargo on the import beyond the timeline indicated against them and to boost indigenization of defence production and promote the domestic defence industry.
He added that the decision will provide an opportunity for the Indigenous defence industry to manufacture the banned items using their own designs and capabilities or with the help of designs, technology and guidelines of the DRDO (defence Research and Development Organization) to meet the requirements of our armed forces.
The list includes light combat helicopters, assault rifles, corvettes, radars, wheeled Armored Fighting Vehicles (AFVs), transport aircraft, Artillery guns and other high technology weapons that will not be imported from now on. According to Singh, the list has been prepared by the ministry after several rounds of consultations with stakeholders, including the armed forces, public and private industry. Also, the current and future capability of Indian defence industry to produce the equipment in India has also been considered.
The embargo on imports is planned to be implemented between the years 2020 to 2024. A total of 69 items out of 101 on the embargo list will not be imported from December 2020. Rajnath Singh said that over time, more such equipment would be identified for import embargo.
In a tweet Singh said that, “All necessary steps would be taken to ensure that timelines for production of equipment as per the Negative Import List are met, which will include a co-ordinated mechanism for hand holding of the industry by the defence Services.”
He has also estimated that the domestic defence industry is likely to receive contracts worth around Rs four lakh crore within the coming six to seven years post the decision.
