Defence Ministry Approves Procurement of 26 defence Items From Local Suppliers to Boost 'Make in ...
Ministry of Defence has approved procurement of 26 defence items only from local suppliers to boost Make in India.
The government has issued Public Procurement (Preference to Make in India) Order 2017 to encourage Make in India and to promote manufacturing and production of goods and services in India.
Under this order, Department of Defence Production (DDP) has so far notified 127 items where purchase preference is given to local suppliers.
In order to further encourage procurement from local suppliers, 26 items out of 127 already notified, have now been notified under the related clause of the Public Procurement (Preference to Make in India) Order.
May 20, 2020
Indian Air Force Shelves Three Main Projects
On May 18, 2020, the Indian Air Force Chief RKS Bhadauria announced that it will shelve three main projects of worth Rs. 8,000 crores.
This is because the Central Government is pushing for Make in India.
The shelved project includes the plan to buy 20 additional Hawk Planes from the United Kingdom, 30 Jaguar fighter planes from the US and 38 trainer aircrafts.
GoI to Implements Shekatkar Committee Recommendations Related to Creating Border Infrastructure
Government has decided to implement three important recommendations of the Shekatkar Committee of Experts (CoE).
The CoE is headed by the Chairmanship of Lt General D B Shekatkar (Retd).
The recommendations are related to border Infrastructure like speeding up road construction, leading to socio-economic development in the border areas.
GoI has implemented the recommendation of CoE to outsource road construction work beyond the optimal capacity of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO).
May 18, 2020
Army Considers 'tour-of-duty' Model to Allow Youth to Serve for 3 Years
The Indian Army is examining a proposal that seeks to allow the country's youth to serve the military for three years under a new "tour of duty" (ToD) model similar to the short-service commission that allows officers to serve for 10 to 14 years.
If the proposal is accepted, the army could implement the ToD model - essentially an internship after military training - on trial basis for both officers and other ranks in a limited number of vacancies.
Indian Army's Only Cavalry Unit Set to Replace its Horses With Tanks
One of the world's last remaining horse-mounted cavalry regiments may be riding into the sunset. The Indian Army's only mounted cavalry regiment is set to say goodbye to its horses, with the government approving a proposal to equip the 61st Cavalry with tanks.
The famous 61st Cavalry is being converted into a regular armoured regiment on the basis of a recommendation made by the Lieutenant General DB Shekatkar (retd) committee in a report on sharpening the army's combat edge and trimming its revenue expenditure.
May 17, 2020
INLCU L57 Warship Commissioned into Indian Navy
A Landing Craft Utility (LCU) Mark IV warship built by the Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Limited (GRSE) was commissioned into the Indian Navy at Port Blair by Lt. General P S Rajeshwar, the commander-in-chief of the Andaman and Nicobar Command.
The warship, INLCU L57, is the seventh LCU Mark IV to be inducted into the Indian Navy.
LCU Mark IV is an amphibious ship with its primary role being transportation and deployment of main battle tanks, armoured vehicles, troops and equipment from ship to shore.
FDI Limit in Defence Sector Raised to 74%
In a major step towards opening the Indian defence manufacturing sector, the government permitted foreign companies to have a majority stake in Indian defence companies through the automatic route.
It also announced that the government-owned Ordinance Factor Board would be corporatized.
Defence FDI cap through the automatic route is being raised from 49 per cent to 74 per cent subject to security clearances
May 16, 2020
ICG Ship 'Sachet', Two Boats Commissioned
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh commissioned Indian Coast Guard Ship (ICGS) Sachet and two interceptor boats (IBs) C-450 and C-451 in Goa via video conference.
The ICGS Sachet, the first in the series of five offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) has been designed and built indigenously by Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) and is fitted with state-of-the-art navigation and communication equipment.
To provide private sector defence and aerospace companies affordable facilities to test and validate weaponry they are designing, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh approved a Defence Testing Infrastructure Scheme (DTIS) with an outlay of Rs 400 crore.
Over decades, the Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO), the 41 Ordnance Factories (OFs) and eight Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs) have created sophisticated and costly testing facilities for firearms, ammunition, electronics and radar at government expense. The private sector will have access to such facilities too.