Indian Defence Ministry to Create Data Base for Acquisitions

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Posted on: May 02, 2012

 

India's Defence Ministry has begun the process of creating a data base on the acquisitions it plans to make for its army, navy and air force.

 

This information was given to the parliamentary standing committee by Defence Secretary Shashi Kant Sharma, who deposed before it in April on the ministry's demands for grants for 2012-13.

The committee, while discussing the delay in defence procurement, noted that there was a suggestion of having the data bank for acquisition for the three services.

"In fact, some beginning has been made in the offices of the technical managers. They are collecting some sort of data, but I will admit that we have not perfected in that. There is scope for further improvement," Sharma was quoted by the committee in its report.

He also acknowledged to the panel that the data bank would certainly help in acquisitions and that "we must make progress on that."

Sharma also informed that on the issue of identifying the acquisitions under the 'make' category of the defence procurement procedure, of the 15-year long term integrated perspective plan (LTIPP), the ministry would cull out those cases which are from the 'make' category. For that, the ministry has already started preparation and in the last two or three years, a few cases have been taken up like the Tactical Communication System, Future Infantry Combat Vehicles and such.

"But I agree that a number of such cases must now increase and it will come out of the LTIPP," he said.

Arguing in favour of greater involvement of the private sector in defence production in India, the defence secretary also suggested that an industry version of the LTIPP would be put up in the public domain.

"Simultaneously, an exercise has also been taken up to identify the technologies on which Public Sector Undertakings and domestic private industries could consider working on. The cases identified as 'make' category are mostly for this purpose," he said.

He also predicted that the public version of the LTIPP would be out in six month’s time, as the plans were approved by the Defence Acquisition Council in early April 2012.

"It will be the industry version only and not exactly how we are going to proceed, as this will disclose many of our future strategic plans," Sharma quantified.