Rajnath Singh puts import embargo on 101 defence items; check list here

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi in his address to the Nation on May 12, 2020 had given a clarion call for a self-reliant India based on the five pillars, i.e., Economy, Infrastructure, System, Demography & Demand and announced a special economic package for Self-Reliant India named 'Atamnirbhar Bharat'.

Taking cue from that evocation, the Department of Military Affairs (DMA), Ministry of Defence (MoD) has prepared a list of 101 items for which there would be an embargo on the import beyond the timeline indicated against them.

This is a big step towards self-reliance in defence. It also offers a great opportunity to the Indian defence industry to rise to the occasion to manufacture the items in the negative list by using their own design and development capabilities or adopting the technologies designed and developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to meet the requirements of the Armed Forces in the coming years.

The list is prepared by MoD after several rounds of consultations with all stakeholders, including Army, Air Force, Navy, DRDO, Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs), Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) and private industry to assess current and future capabilities of the Indian industry for manufacturing various ammunition/weapons/platforms/equipment within India. 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. With latest embargo on import of 101 items, it is estimated that contracts worth almost Rs four lakh crore will be placed upon the domestic industry within the next five to seven years. Of these, items worth almost Rs 1,30,000 crore each are anticipated for the Army and the Air Force while items worth almost Rs 1,40,000 crore are anticipated by the Navy over the same period.

The list of 101 embargoed items comprises of not just simple parts but also some high technology weapon systems like artillery guns, assault rifles, corvettes, sonar systems, transport aircrafts, light combat helicopters (LCHs), radars and many other items to fulfil the needs of our Defence Services.

The list also includes, wheeled Armoured fighting vehicles (AFVs) with indicative import embargo date of December 2021, of which the Army is expected to contract almost 200 at an approximate cost of over Rs 5,000 crore. Similarly, the Navy is likely to place demands for Submarines with indicative import embargo date of December 2021, of which it expects to contract about six at an approximate cost of almost Rs 42,000 crore. For the Air Force, it is decided to enlist the LCA MK 1A with an indicative embargo date of December 2020.

Of these, 123 are anticipated at an approximate cost of over Rs 85,000 crore. Hence, there are highly complex platforms that are included in the list of 101 items, of which details of three examples are given above.

The embargo on imports is planned to be progressively implemented between 2020 to 2024. The aim behind promulgation of the list is to apprise the Indian defence industry about the anticipated requirements of the Armed Forces so that they are better prepared to realise the goal of indigenisation.

The MoD has adopted many progressive measures to encourage and facilitate 'Ease of Doing Business' by the defence Production entities. All necessary steps would be taken to ensure that timelines for production of equipment as per the Negative Import List are met, which will include a co-ordinated mechanism for hand holding of the industry by the Defence Services.

More such equipment for import embargo would be identified progressively by the DMA in consultation with all stakeholders. A due note of this will also be made in the Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) to ensure that no item in the negative list is processed for import in the future.

Here's a list of the embargoed items:-

1.   120mm Fin Stabilised Armour Piercing Discarding Sabot (FSAPDS) Mark II Ammunition Dec 2020
2.    7.62x51 Sniper Rifle Dec 2020
3.   Tracked Self Propelled (SP) Gun (155mm x 52 Cal) Dec 2020
4.   Towed Artillery Gun (155mm x 52 Cal) Dec 2020
5.   Short Range Surface to Air Missiles (Land variant) Dec 2020
6.   Shipborne Cruise Missiles Dec 2020
7.  Multi Barrel Rocket Launcher (MBRL) (Pinaka Variant) Dec 2020
8.  Simulators Presenting Smart Ranges And Multi-Function Targets Dec 2020
9.   Battalion Support Weapons Simulators Dec 2020
10.   Container-based Simulators for Live Fire Training Dec 2020
11.   Tailor-made Simulators for Counter Insurgency (CI)/Counter Terrorism (CT) based Training Dec 2020
12.   Force-on-force Live Tactical Simulators / Infantry Weapon Dec 2020
13.   Tank Simulators (driving, as well as, crew gunnery) Dec 2020
14. 155mm/39 Cal Ultra-Light Howitzer Dec 2020
15.   Successor of Flycatcher & Upgraded Super Fledermaus (USFM) / Air Defence Fire Control Radar (ADFCR) Dec 2020
16.   Component Level Repair Facility for Tank T-90 Dec 2020
17.   Shipborne Close in Weapon System Dec 2020
18.   Bullet Proof Jackets Dec 2020
19.  Ballistic Helmets Dec 2020
20.   Missile Destroyers Dec 2020
21.   Multi-Purpose Vessel Dec 2020
22. Offshore Patrol Vessel Dec 2020
23. Next Generation Missile Vessels Dec 2020
24. Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Crafts Dec 2020
    
25.  Water Jet Fast Attack Craft
26.  Ammunition Barges
27.  50ton Bollard - Pull Tugs
28. Survey Vessels
29. Floating Dock
30. Diving Support Vessels
31. Pollution Control Vessels
32. Anti-Submarine Rocket Launchers
33. Shipborne Medium Range Gun
34. Torpedo Tube Launcher for Light Weight Torpedoes
35. Magneto - Rheological Anti Vibration Mounts
36. All variants of Depth Charges
37. Shipborne Sonar System for Large Ships
38. Hull Mounted Submarine Sonar
39. Short Range Maritime Reconnaissance Aircraft
40. Anti-Submarine Rocket
41. Chaff Rockets
42. Chaff Rocket Launcher
43. Integrated Ship's Bridge System
44. Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) MK I A - Enhanced Indigenised Content
45. Light Combat Helicopters
46. General Purpose Pre Fragmentation Bombs between 250-500 Kg
47. Radar Warning Receiver (RWR) for Transport Aircraft
48. Ground Based Mobile ELINT System
49. Transport Aircraft (Light)
50. GSAT-6 Satellite Terminals
51. Aerial Delivery Systems for Transport Aircraft
52. Digital Tropo Scatter/LOS Communication System
    
53.   Low Level Transportable Radar
54.   High Power Radar (HPR)
55. CBRN Detection & Monitoring System
56.   CBRN Decontamination & Protection System
57. Parachute Tactical Assault (PTA)- G2
58. Dragunov Upgrade System
59. PKMG Upgrade System
60.   Simulators for A Vehicles / B Vehicles
61.  Simulators for Towed and Self Propelled Guns of Air Defence
62.  Simulators for Correction of Fire by Observers
63. Military trucks of 4x4 and above variants: 12x12, 10x10, 8x8, 6x6
64. Fixed Wing Mini UAVs
65.   500 Ton Self Propelled Water Barges
66.   Software Defined Radio (TAC) for IN
67. Next Generation Maritime Mobile Coastal Battery (Long Range)
68.   Advance Landing Ground Communication Terminals (ALGCTs)for AGLs
69. Field Artillery Tractor (FAT) 6X6 for Medium Guns
    
70. Wheeled Armoured Fighting Vehicle (AFV) Dec 2021
71.   Light Machine Gun Dec 2021
72.   125 mm Fin Stabilised Armour Piercing Discarding Sabot (FSAPDS)
73. New Generation Ammunition Dec 2021
74.   Assault Rifle 7.62 x 39mm Dec 2021
75. 30 mm Ammunition for Infantry Fighting Systems Dec 2021
76. Mine Fragmentation Dec 2021
77. Mine Anti-tank Dec 2021
78.   Mine Anti-Personnel Blast Dec 2021
79.   Multipurpose Grenade Dec 2021
80. Inertial Navigation System for Ship Application Dec 2021
81. Conventional Submarines Dec 2021
    
82. 40mm UBGL (Under Barrel Grenade Launcher)
83. Lightweight Rocket Launcher
84. 155 mm Artillery Ammunition
85. EW Systems
86. Material Handling Crane 2.5 to 7.5 Tons (Vehicle Mounted)
87. GRAD BM Rocket
88. 30MM HEI/HET
89. ASTRA-MK I Beyond Visual Range Air to Air Missile (BVR AAM)
90. EW Suit for MI-17 V5
91. Communication Satellite GSAT-7C
92. Satellite GSAT 7R
93. Basic Trainer Aircraft (BTA)
94. Expendable Aerial Targets
95. Small Jet Engines with 120kgf thrust
96. Light Low Level Terrain Radar (LLLWR)
97. Close in Weapon System (Land based)
98. 23 mm ZU Ammunitions
99. 30mm VOG 17
100. Electronic Fuses for Artillery Ammunitions
101. Bi- Modular Charge System (BMCS )
102. Long Range – Land Attack Cruise Missile
     

In another relevant step, the MoD has bifurcated the capital procurement budget for 2020-21 between domestic and foreign capital procurement routes. A separate budget head has been created with an outlay of nearly Rs 52,000 crore for domestic capital procurement in the current financial year.

ALSO WATCH: CHECK OUT: Likham: The Book Made of Gold