IN SEARCH OF AN IDEAL DEFENCE PROCUREMENT PROCEDURE

Articulation of a distinct procurement policy that is clear and workable is the need of the hour, argues AMIT COWSHISH

- AMIT COWSHISH

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) constituted a committee to review the Defence Acquisition Procedure 2020 (DAP 2020). This voluminous document primarily contains the procedure for procuring equipment, weapons systems, and other military platforms and capabilities for the armed forces, or capital acquisitions, in short. Promulgated for the first time in 2002 as Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP), it has already been revised eight times in 2003, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2011, 2013, 2016 and 2020 when it was also rechristened as Defence Acquisition Procedure.

The basic purpose of all previous revisions has been to streamline the procedure to ensure the timely procurement of materiel required by the armed forces, based on the experience gained by the MoD, feedback received by it, and contemporaneous government policies. It is no different this time, though the DAP Review Committee while soliciting suggestions from the stakeholders has listed out several other objectives, such as promotion of Atmanirbharta, or self-reliance in defence production by encouraging design and development, both by the public and private sector (including startups and innovators), for eventual induction of indigenously designed and developed systems by the armed forces.

The committee has also invited suggestions on suitable policy and procedural changes to facilitate ‘Make in India’ by promoting formation of joint ventures and transfer of technology (ToT) by foreign original equipment manufacturers (FOEMs) and encouraging Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), so that India becomes an international hub for defence manufacturing and MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul). Such a wide remit can be a distraction.