India announces fresh list of import ban on 928 defence equipment in latest self-reliance push

India has announced a fresh list of import ban on 928 military equipment in its latest push for self-reliance in the manufacturing of defence items.

Among the items that will be banned in phased out are placement units, sub-systems and spares, fighter planes, trainer aircraft, warships and different types of ammunition.

The import ban will kick in on December 2023, and will be phased out in a staggered timeline till December 2029.

Notably, this is the fourth such “positive indigenisation list (PIL)". The previous three lists, published in December 2021, March 2022, and August 2022 respectively, contained 2,500 items for which the country has started domestic production.

Of another 1,238 items, 310 too have been indigenised and the remaining will happen within the given timelines, said the Ministry of Defence.

The new list consists of 928 items and has an import substitution value of Rs 7.15 billion ($86 million approx.), the ministry said in a statement.

“To promote ‘Aatmanirbharta’ (self-reliance) in defence and minimise imports by defence public sector undertakings, the Ministry of Defence has approved the fourth Positive Indigenisation List (PIL) of 928 strategically-important line replacement units/sub-systems/spares and components, including high-end materials and spares, with import substitution value worth Rs 715 crore," the ministry said in a statement.

The aim of the indigenisation list is also to minimise imports by the defence public sector undertakings (DPSUs).

“The DPSUs will soon initiate procurement action for these notified items. The industry may look for Expression of Interest (EoIs), Request for Proposal (RFPs) on the srijan portal dashboard especially designed for this purpose and may come forward to participate in large number,” the statement said.

The DPSUs will undertake indigenisation of these items through different routes under ‘Make’ category and in-house development through the capabilities of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) and private Indian industry, thereby providing impetus to the growth in economy, enhancedinvestment in defenceand reduction in import dependence of DPSUs, the ministry said.

This will augment the design capabilities ofthe domestic defence industryby involving academia and research institutions, it added.

The ministry said that the public sector units will soon initiate procurement action for these notified items.

India is one of the largest importers of arms globally. The government has been taking a series of measures to reverse this trend and boost domestic defence production.

According to estimates, the Indian armed forces are projected to spend around $130 billion in capital procurement over the next five years.

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