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| Archive data: Person was Research Fellow at IDSA till September 2020 |
Dr. Laxman Kumar Behera joined MP-IDSA in September 2006. He specialises on issues related to Arms Procurement, Defence Offsets, Defence Industry, Military Spending, and Export Control. Dr. Behera has authored numerous policy-relevant research publications. His book Indian Defence Industry: An Agenda for Making in India provides a comprehensive analysis of India’s evolving arms manufacturing sector. Dr. Behera has given numerous talks on defence, security and finance related issues in prestigious training and academic institutes, including College of Defence Management, National Academy of Defence Production, National Institute of Financial Management and Indian Institute of Management Bangalore. Dr. Behera was closely associated with several high level Committees set up by the Ministry of Defence to examine Defence Acquisition and Defence Expenditure. He worked as a Consultant to the Taskforce on Defence Modernisation and Self-reliance, constituted by the National Security Council Secretariat. The Report, presented to the Prime Minister, had been the basis for several reforms carried through the Defence Procurement Procedures (DPP). He has been part of three IDSA study teams that prepared reports for the Seventh Central Pay Commission; Expenditure Management Commission, Ministry of Finance; and Director General (Acquisition), MoD.
Innovate to Dominate: The Rise of the Chinese Techno-Security State: Tai Ming Cheung, Ithaca and London, Cornell University Press, 2022
The outcome of the 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, held in October 2022, was on predictable lines. It was no surprise that President Xi Jinping was chosen CPC supremo for an unprecedented third time, defying the two-term limit set by Deng Xiaoping to prevent a single person from gaining absolute and autocratic power like Mao Zedong. Xi, considered the most powerful leader in China since Mao, is determined to put China on the ‘rejuvenation’ path and attain superpower status for the Middle Kingdom by mid-century.
Institutions that Shaped India: DRDO, by Ravi Kumar Gupta
With India approaching the 75th year of independence in 2022, there are few institutions that can narrate the roller-coaster journey that the country has taken to become a modern nation. The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), a premier research and development (R&D) wing of the Ministry of Defence (MoD), is one such institution. It is due to the persistent and painstaking efforts of DRDO that the country can hold its head high among the comity of nations in key defence and strategic technologies.
India’s Defence Expenditure: A Trend Analysis
This article examines India’s defence expenditure over the past ten years. In so doing, it provides a public finance perspective to explain the recurring resource crunch being faced by the Ministry of Defence (MoD). The article reasons that a substantial augmentation of resources for the MoD in the past has faced stiff barriers due to lack of tax buoyancy and also the political, economic and other exigencies that have led to greater public spending outside the traditional areas of expenses, including defence.
Atma Nirbhar through Arms Import Ban
The negative list of embargoed defence items is one more step towards creating a strong domestic arms industry and making India self-reliant in defence production.
Atma Nirbhar through Canteen Sales
Banning the sale of imported items through the CSD could supplement the various domestic industry-friendly policy measures being taken by the government for a self-reliant India.
Atma Nirbhar in Defence Technology
While the steps stipulated in draft DAP-2020 to enable smooth acquisition of systems indigenously designed by DRDO and other public sector entities are a right move, they need to be strengthened further to make procedures more robust and conducive for timely completion of projects.
Estimating India’s Defence Manpower
India needs to have a public version of defence manpower database as part of its annual budgetary document. This would facilitate greater understanding and analysis of any possible manpower-related reforms in the future.
Bang for Buck: India’s Defence Expenditure in Wider Perspective
Given the limited resource base and various competing demands, the MoD needs to work on a plan to optimise its allocated resources, rather than hoping to bridge its entire resource gap through additional funding from the Ministry of Finance.
Refining Draft Defence Offset Guidelines 2020
The draft offset guidelines 2020, with revamped features, is a bold attempt at attracting technology and investment as well as promoting defence exports. However, the MoD may consider further refining some of the features of the revised guidelines.
Draft DPP-2020: Standard Contract Document
Inclusion of new clauses in the draft DPP-2020 and changes made in some of the existing ones are intended to make the SCD more comprehensive. However, there is a scope for bringing about textual clarity in the new as well as some of the existing clauses of the SCD, especially those which have been modified.