In a continued push for aatmanirbharta, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh called for joints efforts to develop India as a Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) hub, as he inaugurated a seminar at the Aero India 2023 on Tuesday. He emphasised the need for MRO services to safeguard our defence equipment and systems, and protect our defence forces.
The Defence Ministry said Singh was speaking at the inaugural session of the seminar on ‘Sustenance in MRO and Obsolescence Mitigation: Op capability Enhancers in Aerospace Domain’ organised by the Indian Air Force.
Singh pointed out that the self-confidence and morale of our defence forces will be strengthened by using indigenous equipment. “He mentioned that due to geo-political developments, India is taking steps to strengthen its defence sector and assured that the government is committed towards making the best equipment and platforms available to our defence forces to bolster national security,” the Defence Ministry said.
The Defence Minister listed various initiatives to develop self-reliance in the IAF, such as the Akash Weapon System, LCA Tejas, Long Range Surface to Air Missiles, Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft and the order for 15 Light Combat Helicopter ‘Prachand’. He also informed that there would be 160 of the Prachand helicopters in the Armed Forces in the future.
“While we should procure the best equipment and systems, our efforts should focus on developing our own equipment and systems to strengthen the Indian Defence sector,” he added.
Singh further mentioned that along with combat readiness, the government has focussed on aatmanirbharta in defence production, and preparedness. As a result, India is moving ahead in the field of defence production.
The requirement for minimum 50% indigenous content in ‘Buy Indian- IDDM’ category currently does not include maintenance. He suggested that the procurement cost as well as maintenance and support should have 50% indigenous content to make the acquisition truly ‘Buy Indian- IDDM’ and give a boost to aatmanirbharta.
“The Life Cycle cost of high-value defence equipment, including service and maintenance, should be examined at the time of acquisition for a clear estimate of total expenditure on these products throughout their usable life, and to enable us to get better value for money,” he suggested. He said that this will also enable us to understand the overall financial implications and estimate the level of indigenisation in particular defence equipment.
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