Defence acquisition proposals worth Rs 15,935 crore cleared; Services to get over 7.4 lakh guns. Full breakup here

The Defence Ministry on Tuesday cleared Rs 15,935 crore worth of proposals including one to procure 7.40 lakh 'Buy and Make (Indian)' assault rifles at a cost of Rs 12,280 crore for the three services.

The decision was taken at a meeting of Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) presided over by Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

Rs 1819 crore worth of Light Machine Guns will also be procured through the fast-track procedure to meet the operational requirement of the troops deployed at the border.

The procurement of 5719 sniper rifles for the Indian Army and Air Force at an estimated outlay of Rs 982 crore has also been approved. 

Additionally, the procurement of Advanced Torpedo Decoy Systems (ATDS) for the Navy -- the 'Mareech' system developed by the DRDO -- has also been approved and will be produced by BEL, Bengaluru at an estimated cost of Rs. 850 crore

Here's the full press release:

The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), chaired by Raksha Mantri Smt Nirmala Sitharaman, met today and accorded approval to Capital Acquisition Proposals of the Services valued at approximately Rs 15,935 crore.

These included procurement of essential quantity of Light Machine Guns for the three Services through the Fast Track Procedure at an estimated cost of over Rs 1,819 crore. This procurement will meet the operational requirement of the troops deployed on the borders. A concurrent proposal is being processed for the balance quantity to be procured under the 'Buy and Make (Indian)' categorisation.

The DAC also accorded approval for procurement of 7.4 lakh Assault Rifles for the three Services. These Rifles will be ‘Made in India’ under the categorisation of 'Buy and Make (Indian)', through both Ordnance Factory Board and Private Industry at an estimated cost of Rs 12,280 crore.

In the last one month, to equip the soldiers on the border with modern and more effective equipment, the DAC has fast tracked procurement of the three main personal weapons, i.e., Rifles, Carbines and Light Machine Guns.

The DAC also approved procurement of 5,719 Sniper Rifles for the Indian Army and Indian Air Force at an estimated cost of Rs 982 crore. While these high precision weapons will be bought with ‘Buy Global’ categorisation, the ammunition for these will be initially procured and subsequently manufactured in India.

To enhance the anti-submarine warfare capabilities of Indian Naval Ships, the DAC accorded approval for the procurement of Advanced Torpedo Decoy Systems (ATDS) for the Indian Navy. The 'Mareech' system has been developed indigenously by Defence Research and Development Organisation and has successfully completed extensive trial evaluations. The 'Mareech' systems will be produced by Bharat Electronics Limited, Bengaluru at an estimated cost of Rs 850 crore.