India issues import embargo on 101 defence items; delivers boost to 'Aatmanirbhar' push

Furthering the nation's clarion call for 'self-reliance', Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in a massive statement announced that the Ministry of Defence would embargo imports of 101 items to boost indigenous defence production. "Taking a cue from that evocation, the Ministry of Defence 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," said Rajnath Singh. 

'Big opportunity for Indian defence manufactures' 

The Defence Minister added that the Ministry's decision would prove to be a great opportunity for Indian defence manufacturers to develop their capabilities and technologies. "The list is prepared by MoD after several rounds of consultations with all stakeholders, including the Armed Forces, public & private industry to assess current and future capabilities of the Indian industry for manufacturing various ammunition & equipment within India," he said. 

The Defence Minister added that under this scheme, items worth almost Rs 1,30,000 crore each are anticipated for the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force while items worth almost Rs 1,40,000 crore are anticipated by the Indian Navy. "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," he revealed.