Defence Ministry to clear Rs 6,000 crore for Arjun Mark 1A Tank's induction in Indian Army

In a major development for the Indian Army, the Defense Ministry on Tuesday is set to clear over Rs 6,000 crore for the acquisition of Main Battle Tank Arjun Mark 1A. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has earlier dedicated the tank to the nation during his visit to Chennai over the weekend. In addition, the Defense Ministry too had cleared the induction of 118 Arjun Mark1A tanks into the Indian Army. 

"The Defence Ministry will consider the proposal in the Defence Acquisition Council meeting to be held in presence of the Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat and Army chief Gen Manoj Mukund Naravane," defence sources told ANI.

The tank has been indigenously designed and developed by defense behemoth DRDO in coordination with the Indian Army. As per the development, 118 tanks will be joining the first batch of 124 Arjun tanks. These tanks which have already been inducted into the Indian Army are deployed in the Western Desert along the Pakistan front. 

Make-in-India Initiative: PM Modi To Dedicate Indigenous Arjun Battle Tank To Nation

The additional 118 tanks will also form two regiments in the Armoured Corps of the Indian Army, similar to the 124 tanks which are already present. Officials stated that the Army has decided to cut down on the number of tanks for the formation of an armoured regiment, which is why the present order has less tanks. The DRDO's efforts pertaining to the development of the Arjun tanks has been functional since a while now. The project was also undertaken by CDS General Bipin Rawat and DRDO chief Dr G Satheesh Reddy to boost the capabilities of armed forces by developing indigenous weapon systems. The Arjun Mark 1A tank has been designed by DRDO's Combat Vehicles Research and Development Establishment (CVRDE) based out of Chennai.  

READ: DRDO Chief Hails PM Modi's Decision To Dedicate Army's Arjun Mark 1A Tank To Nation

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(With ANI Inputs)