As a first major step towards “Atmanirbharta” or self-reliance, the defence ministry has approached the Union Cabinet to green light setting up of an independent nodal umbrella body to meet the wide-ranging testing and certification requirements of weapon systems developed and manufactured by the Indian private sector.
The new independent authority will ensure that the private sector is not at the mercy of the government’s laboratories and testing ranges for getting their equipment approved for domestic sales as well as exports. With 68% of the defence capital procurement budget earmarked for domestic industry in the coming financial year, it is time that the private sector started manufacturing high end products such as armed drones, autonomous combat vehicles, aircraft engines and submarines by setting up SPVs with western defence majors who are willing to set up shop in India.
There is a need for total revamp of defence military planning and forecasting so that India develops latest technologies and futuristic weapon systems.
