DAC approves procurement of 83 indigenous Tejas fighter jets for IAF:

The Defence Ministry`s Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) approved for the procurement of 83 indigenous Tejas fighter jets for Indian Air Force (IAF) with the more advanced configuration on 18 March. The proposal will be forwarded for the approval of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS).

Highlights:

♦ The procurement of fighter jets will be a major boost to Make in India.

♦ The aircraft is indigenously designed, developed and manufactured by HAL and several local vendors.

♦ HAL`s 83 fighter jets are of the more advanced Mk1A version of the aircraft.

♦ The expected cost of the aircraft is Rs.39,000 crores.

♦ Earlier, GoI has placed an order of 40 Tejas aircraft with HAL in initial configurations.

♦ With this procurement, IAF aims to meet the requirements of its squadron numbers and modernize its inventory with fourth-generation plus and fifth-generation aircraft.

Defence Minister releases Draft Defence Procurement Procedure 2020:

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh released the Draft Defence Procurement Procedure(DPP), 2020 at a function in New Delhi. The policy is aligned with the vision of the government to empower the private industry through the Make in India initiative with the ultimate of turning India into a global manufacturing hub. The government has introduced leasing as another category to get defense equipment at affordable rates. The greater participation of the Indian industry and develop a robust defence industrial base, the use of indigenous raw materials, unique alloys, and software has been incentivized under the DPP-2020. 

Make in India

Make in India, a type of Swadeshi movement covering 25 sectors of the Indian economy, was launched by the Government of India.

Launch year: 2014.