‘Long procurement cycle risks acquiring outdated systems’

CALLING FOR CONTINUITY OF REFORMS

- Rajinder Singh Bhatia

Rajinder Singh Bhatia, chairman of Kalyani Strategic Systems, the defence subsidiary of Bharat Forge, and president of the Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers, talked about the importance of creating a robust environment for defence startups at the launch of the Blueprint magazine in New Delhi. Edited excerpts from his interaction with Bhaswar Kumar of Business Standard:

Have reforms in India’s defence sector truly benefited the private industry?

A decade ago, the bureaucracy was not as receptive to private sector participation as today. We could not conduct trials in India. We sent the prototypes abroad for testing. The reforms under Manohar Parrikar’s tenure allowed domestic testing and, by 2019, the Defence Acquisition Council approved 150 guns. The production for the Indian Army began in 202s. These reforms have helped a lot, but the challenges remain in procurement procedures and timely approvals.

How would you assess India’s current position and future potential in defence production?