Import Embargo Planned For 101 Defence Items

August 13, 2020 admn2017

Aug 09, 2020

In a recent notification by the Ministry of Defence, the government has planned to put an embargo on the import of many defence items that is expected to be progressively implemented between 2020 to 2024. Rajnath Singh, Union Minister of Defence on Sunday took to Twitter to inform the import embargo planned and said that the government is aiming to “apprise the Indian defence industry” when it comes to the requirement of Armed Forces. This, Rajnath Singh believes that will boost the goal for indigenisation. Further, the minister informed that the government will step forth in taking all necessary measures that would ensure that the timeline set for the production of equipment is met (according to the Negative Import List). This will also be inclusive of a “co-ordinated mechanism for hand holding of the industry by the Defence Services,” said Singh.

The list of imported items released by the government indicates that there are 101 items that will have an import embargo. These items include Short Range Surface to Air Missiles, Battalion Support Weapons Simulators, all sorts of ammunition, and high power radars among others. The minister added that more equipment that might require import embargo will be identified by the DMA after consulting with all stakeholders. “A note of this will be duly made in the DAP in order to ensure that no item in the negative list is processed for import in the future,” said Singh.

Further, a bifurcation has been made by the Ministry of Defence for the capital procurement budget of the year 2020-21 between foreign and domestic capital procurement routes. According to the ministry, a separate budget head has also been made that has an outlay of nearly Rs 52,000 crore just for domestic capital procurement in the financial year 2020-21.

Here is a list of all the imported defence items that the Defence Ministry is putting embargo on:

Courtesy: FE Online