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OPINION JULY 16, 2021 | The Indian Eye 12

indigenisation – in Need

of policy Framework

amiT COWShiSh

ndia has been striving for
indigenisation of defence
Iproduction for close to three
decades. To give impetus to the
efforts, the Ministry of Defence
(MoD) had constituted a com-
mittee in the early 1990s under
Prof APJ Abdul Kalam. The
committee suggested a 10-year
roadmap to increase the indig-
enous component in the total
expenditure on capital procure-
ment from 30 per cent in 1992-
93 to 70 per cent by 2005. This
goal could not be achieved and
there continues to be some con-
fusion about the present state of
indigenisation.
Several steps have been tak-
en in the last 20 years, but the
outcome of these efforts re-
mains a matter of debate as the An Indian Air Force C-130J Super Hercules aircraft operating at a forward airbase near PoK and China border. (ANI)
available data on indigenisa-
tion is confusing. According to these contradictory sets of facts uct, is not indigenised. In hostile overarching organisation to co-
a recent report of the Standing is that while the Indian indus- circumstances, the OEM or the ordinate indigenisation efforts
Committee on Defence (SCoD), try has done reasonably well in country of its origin could deny currently being made almost in-
only 93 of the 213 contracts manufacturing foreign-origin the export of such items and dependently by several institu-
worth about Rs 1,76,569 crore equipment with the help of tech- paralyse production in India. tions mentioned above. This or-
were awarded to foreign ven- nology transfer from the foreign Seen in this perspective, the ganisation will have to work out
dors of the USA, Russia, Israel, Original Equipment Manufac- level of indigenisation of de- a system for ensuring deeper in-
France, and some other coun- turers and in indigenising com- fence production in India is volvement of the private sector
tries between the financial years ponents, it still lacks the capa- quite low. Broadly, there are in the indigenisation effort, apart
(FYs) 2016-17 and 2019-20. bility to indigenously design and four reasons for this. from engagement with other sci-
In the last five years alone, develop major platforms, with The primary reason is the ab- entific institutions, innovators,
several contracts have been a few exceptions like the Light sence of a pragmatic overarch- foreign entities, and academia.
awarded to the foreign vendors Combat Aircraft Tejas, which is ing indigenisation policy. What Thirdly, procedural issues
for an assortment of platforms what indigenisation should be comes closest to it is a notifica- need to be resolved to ensure
like Dassault’s twin-engine all about. tion issued by the Department that the testing, quality assur-
Medium Multi-Role Combat Even in respect of compo- of Defence Production (DDP) ance and certification agencies
Aircraft (MMRCA), Boeing’s nents and assemblies, no data/ in 2019. It cannot be the guiding work more as a part of the team
multi-role combat AH-64E information is available to show document for a concerted effort engaged in indigenisation rath-
Apache and vertical-lift Chi- whether these are critical parts as it only contains the policy for er than as external technology
nook helicopters, Lockheed of the equipment/platforms in indigenisation of components audit entities. This may also re-
Martin’s C-130J Super Hercules which these are used. This is and spare parts used by the quire the quality assurance per-
four-engine turboprop military important because the extent Defence Public Sector Under- sonnel to acquire and upgrade
transport aircraft, and Russian of indigenisation of a product takings (DPSUs) and the Ord- their domain expertise, as well
Almaz-Antey’s S-400 Triumf Air matters little if a critical part, nance Factory Board (OFB) in as test procedures, equipment
Defence System. even if it constitutes a miniscule the manufacturing process. and methodologies.
The best explanation for percentage of the overall prod- Secondly, there must be an Continued on next page... >>

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