Defence Ministry clears Rs 21,000 cr acquisitions

Defence minister Rajnath Singh-led Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) on Tuesday gave 'acceptance of necessity' (AoN) for five capital acquisition proposals valued at over ₹21,772 crore.

The ministry has given a go ahead to the armed forces to procure a variety of equipment, most of which will be manufactured in India. This includes the procurement of 31 new water jet fast attack craft for the Indian Navy. Designed for low intensity maritime operations, surveillance, patrol and search and rescue operations close to the coast, the craft are set to be bought following a competitive process.

The Navy will also go ahead with procurement of 120 fast interceptor craft (FIC-1).