Defence ministry sets up panel to review acquisition procedure

The defence ministry on Thursday said it has set up a high-powered committee, headed by the director general (acquisition), to steer a comprehensive review of the Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) 2020 for speedy modernisation of the armed forces and boosting self-reliance in the critical sector.
The panel includes senior officers from the ministry, representatives from the defence industry and academia.
'Following the declaration of 2025 as the 'year of reforms', the defence ministry has initiated a comprehensive review of the DAP 2020 to align it with existing government policies and initiatives. A committee headed by the director general (acquisition) has been constituted to carry out extensive deliberations with all stakeholders,' the defence ministry said. The panel has begun consultations with the stakeholders and invited suggestions from them by July 5.
The aim of the review, the ministry said, is to meet the operational requirements and modernisation needs of the armed forces in a timely manner to ensure national security and achieve 'atmanirbharta' (self-reliance) goals by promoting technology infusion through indigenously designed and developed systems.
It also seeks to boost the Make-in-India initiative by promoting defence manufacturing through facilitation of joint ventures and transfer of technology for the private sector, encouraging foreign original equipment manufacturers to invest in the country and establish India as a global defence manufacturing and MRO (maintenance, repair and overhaul) hub, the ministry said in a statement.
Another goal is to 'promote design and development in both public and private sectors, with a focus on startups, innovators, and the private defence industry for indigenous technology infusion'.
The panel was formed weeks after India launched Operation Sindoor in the early hours of May 7 and struck terror and military installations in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) following the Pahalgam terror strike in which 26 people were shot dead.
It triggered a four-day military confrontation with Pakistan before the two sides reached an understanding on stopping all military action on May 10.
Indian forces deployed several indigenous weapons during the clash.
The panel has sought suggestions from stakeholders on a raft of issues including policy/procedural changes to streamline the acquisition processes, ease of doing business, conduct of trials, post-contract management, fast-track procedures, adoption of new technologies including artificial intelligence, and language improvements to eliminate ambiguity and enhance procedural clarity in the DAP.
On May 30, defence secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh said DAP 2020, the document that spells out the complex procurement process, is being revisited to reflect current realities.
He said the government is taking steps to shorten the weapon procurement cycle and has already cut it by more than a year -- a move aimed at accelerating the modernisation of the armed forces.
'The defence ministry has already, in the year of reforms, slashed the timelines for some of the processes in the procurement cycle. This would save about 69 weeks overall in the process timeline,' he said at a defence conclave.
There is a need to shift away from the traditional nomination-based procurement focused mostly on the public sector to a more competitive pricing model where both the public and private sector can compete for orders, he said, adding this approach is already being implemented for shipbuilding and recently for the AMCA (advanced medium combat aircraft) project.
The defence ministry has declared 2025 as the year of reforms aimed at transforming the military into a technologically advanced, combat-ready force capable of tackling new challenges.
The nine areas identified by the defence ministry for focused intervention include simplifying weapons buying procedures, setting up of integrated theatre commands for the best use of the military's resources to fight future wars, and new domains such as cyber and space.
On May 29, the chief of the air staff Air Chief Marshal AP Singh put the spotlight on the armed forces' agonising wait for new weapons and systems, saying he could not recall a single instance of a project being executed on time, in what was seen as a wake-up call for the country's defence production sector.
'Timelines are a big issue,' Singh said at the time.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Hindustan Times

an hour ago

• Hindustan Times

When will India restore Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan? Amit Shah answers

Union home minister Amit Shah has categorically ruled out restoring the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan, asserting that India will instead divert the river water for its internal use. Amit Shah ruled out any revival of the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan, stating that water meant for Pakistan will now be diverted for use in Rajasthan.(PTI) Shah said, 'No, it will never be restored,' when asked about the status of the six-decade-old agreement in an interview with The Times of India. The Bharatiya Janata Party veteran added, 'We will take water that was flowing to Pakistan to Rajasthan by constructing a canal. Pakistan will be starved of water that it has been getting unjustifiably.' The Indus Waters Treaty, signed in 1960, regulates water sharing between India and Pakistan from the Indus River system. However, India put the treaty into "abeyance" following the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which left 26 civilians dead. The government linked the suspension of the pact to Islamabad's continued support for cross-border terrorism. Pakistan has denied involvement in the Pahalgam attack. Despite a ceasefire agreement between the two nuclear-armed neighbours following their worst border clashes in decades, the treaty remains suspended. Pakistan's multiple appeals to review suspension order Since April, Islamabad has repeatedly urged India to reconsider its decision. According to officials familiar with the matter, Pakistan's water resources secretary, Syed Ali Murtaza, has written at least four letters to India's Jal Shakti Ministry—three of them after the conclusion of Operation Sindoor, a military operation following the Pahalgam killings—asking for a review of the suspension. The Pakistani government claims that India's action violates the treaty and that 'no unilateral' suspension is permissible under the pact's terms. However, India is firm in its stance that 'talks and terror can not go together' and has denied engaging in dialogues until Pakistan stops funding terror groups inside its territory. India's formal notification of the suspension was communicated to Pakistan on April 24. In the letter, India's water resources secretary, Debashree Mukherjee, said, 'The obligation to honour a treaty in good faith is fundamental to a treaty. However, what we have seen instead is sustained cross-border terrorism by Pakistan targeting the Indian Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir.' The Indus Waters Treaty has long been a rare example of sustained cooperation between India and Pakistan.

Time of India

an hour ago

• Time of India

Will divert water flowing to Pakistan to Rajasthan by constructing a canal: Amit Shah on Indus Waters Treaty

Union Home Minister Amit Shah while speaking on Indus Waters Treaty has said that India will be diverting the flow of water from Pakistan to Rajasthan through a canal. "We will take water that was flowing to Pakistan to Rajasthan by constructing a canal. Pakistan will be starved of water that it has been getting unjustifiably," Shah said in an exclusive interview with Times of India. India put into "abeyance" its participation in the 1960 treaty, which governs the usage of the Indus river system, after 26 civilians in Kashmir's Pahalgam were killed. The treaty had guaranteed water access for 80% of Pakistan's farms through three rivers originating in India. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Join new Free to Play WWII MMO War Thunder War Thunder Play Now Undo India starts working on canal India has started working towards a larger inter-basin water transfer plan to fully utilise its share of Indus river waters. According to a report by The Times of India, a feasibility study is underway for a 113-km canal that would divert surplus flows from Jammu & Kashmir to Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan. This canal will link the Chenab with the Ravi-Beas-Sutlej system. The project aims to optimise India's share under the Indus Waters Treaty by ensuring better use of both eastern (Ravi, Beas, Sutlej) and western (Indus, Jhelum, Chenab) rivers, curbing excess flows into Pakistan. Live Events Sources told ToI that the proposed canal network will tie into 13 existing canal structures across J&K, Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan, eventually feeding into the Indira Gandhi canal system. To facilitate this, the Centre is also considering doubling the length of the Ranbir canal from 60 km to 120 km, and fully utilising the Pratap canal, based on feasibility assessments. The Ujh multipurpose project in Kathua district—pending for years—is also being revived. A second Ravi-Beas link below Ujh, planned earlier to stop excess Ravi water from entering Pakistan, will now be part of the larger canal initiative. It would involve a barrage and tunnel to transfer water to the Beas basin. The Ujh is a tributary of the Ravi. These initiatives add to ongoing short-term measures such as desilting reservoirs at Baglihar and Salal hydro projects on the Chenab. India is also speeding up work on several hydroelectric plants — Pakal Dul (1,000 MW), Ratle (850 MW), Kiru (624 MW), and Kwar (540 MW) — to better utilise its Indus system share, ToI reported. Recently, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday reaffirmed Pakistan's willingness to talk with India on all outstanding issues, including Jammu and Kashmir, the Indus Water Treaty, trade and counter-terrorism. However, India has made it clear that it will only have a dialogue with Pakistan on the return of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and the issue of terrorism.

New Indian Express

an hour ago

• New Indian Express

Operation Sindoor paused only after Pakistan's plea for ceasefire: Rajnath Singh

SRINAGAR: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said Operation Sindoor was paused only after Pakistan's plea for ceasefire. He said this on the occasion of International Yoga Day, where he was leading troops at Northern Command Headquarters in J&K's Udhampur. Singh led the armed forces in celebrating the 11th International Day of Yoga (IDY) by performing various asanas and breathing exercises with about 2,500 soldiers at Northern Command, Udhampur. The defence minister had arrived at the North Command headquarters yesterday evening. While addressing the soldiers, the Defence Minister credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for popularising yoga globally and highlighted that the practice provides a holistic approach to health & well-being. Yoga, he said, is a universal solution to the problems faced by people in today's fast-paced world, such as stress, anxiety and depression. 'It is an art, a science, a philosophy, and spirituality. Those who practice Yoga in their daily lives have control over their body and mind. It makes us proactive, not reactive'.