Image Source: The Hindu

Agencies:

In a big push to Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative, the Ministry of Defence has decided to impose a ban on 101 import items to boost indigenisation of defence production. Announcing the decision on Twitter, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said the defence ministry has prepared a list of 101 items for which there would be an embargo on the import beyond the timeline indicated against them.

Rajnath Singh said following the embargo on certain defence imports, it is estimated that contracts worth almost Rs 4 lakh crore will be placed upon the domestic industry within the next 6 to 7 years. Almost 260 schemes of such items were contracted by the Tri-Services at an approximate cost of Rs 3.5 lakh crore between April 2015 and August 2020, Rajnath Singh said.

A separate budget head of Rs 52,000 crore has been created for domestic capital procurement in the current financial year to boost the defence industry in the country.

Artillery guns, light combat helicopter, assault rifles, corvettes, radars, wheeled Armoured Fighting Vehicles (AFVs), transport aircraft and other high technology weapons are among the 101 defence items that will not be imported from now on. All these will now be indigenously manufactured, Rajnath Singh announced today.