Nod for mega defence deals

Navy gets a lion’s share of the projects

The Indian Navy currently has 13 operational submarines and the target set in 1999 was to have 24 by 2030. Picture shows indigenously built warship INS Kolkata.

The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) meeting chaired by Defence Minister Arun Jaitley cleared deals worth Rs.47,000 crore on Saturday for the three services with a lion’s share going to the Navy. The Army’s long-pending proposal for the Anti-Tank Guided Missile system has been cleared.

Addressing the Council, Mr. Jaitley said the nation’s security was of paramount concern for the government. He added that “necessary hurdles and bottlenecks in the procurement process should be addressed expeditiously so that the pace of acquisition is not stymied.”

In a major boost to the Navy , six new conventional diesel-electric submarines under Project-75I have been approved at Rs.50,000 crore.