Defence Acquisition Procedure for Self-Reliance

Atmanirbharta, or self-reliance, in defence production is a long-cherished objective of India’s defence establishment. In the last one decade (2014–24), the expenditure on procurement from domestic sources has increased, but according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), India was also among the top two largest importers of arms during the same period. What explains this dichotomy? Does the rising expenditure on local procurement indicate that India is inching closer to being self-reliant in defence production? If so, is it attributable to the steps taken by the government in the last one decade, especially for making the acquisition procedures more efficacious? This article examines these, and some other related questions in the backdrop of the past efforts at becoming self-reliant and highlights some issues related to the policy and procedural framework which may possibly be encumbering the process of achieving self-reliance in the true sense of the term.

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