Now, defence minister nod must for import of weapon systems

In further attempts to cut down on foreign arms dependency, the government has introduced a new rule under which all import of weapon systems, including those being bought under the emergency clause, will require approvals by the defence minister.

The specific approval by the Rajnath Singh-led Defence Acquisition Council is expected to bring further scrutiny into imports and encourage Indian industry to step up supplies.

"Going forward all modernisation requirements of the Defence Services and Indian Coast Guard are to be indigenously sourced irrespective of the nature of procurement. Import of defence equipment from foreign industry of capital acquisitions should only be an exception and undertaken with specific approval of DAC/Raksha Mantri," an official release stated.