Defence Innovation and Procurement
The Need for a Procurement and Innovation Strategy
A modern military cannot fight with outdated weapons. The armed forces constantly need new rifles, advanced aircraft, and better communication tools. The process of officially buying these military tools is called defence procurement.
Historically, buying weapons from other countries was a very long and complicated process. To make this process faster, transparent, and focused on buying Indian-made products, the government created a structured system for defence acquisitions and launched special programmes to encourage local innovation.
The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC)
When the Army, Navy, or Air Force needs a new weapon system, they cannot just buy it directly from a company. The request must go through the highest decision-making body for military purchases, known as the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC).
Key Facts about the DAC:
- Establishment: The DAC was created in 2001 after the Kargil War, based on the recommendations of the Group of Ministers on reforming the national security system.
- Leadership: The DAC is chaired by the Defence Minister (Raksha Mantri).
- Primary Role: Its main job is to ensure that the armed forces get the weapons they need quickly while preventing corruption and saving the government’s money.
- Acceptance of Necessity (AoN): Before any weapon can be bought, the DAC must grant an approval called the Acceptance of Necessity (AoN). This is the official green light that confirms the military genuinely needs the requested equipment.
Focus on "Make in India" in Procurement
To support self-reliance, the government introduced the Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP). This is a rulebook that decides how weapons will be bought.
Under the DAP, the highest priority is always given to equipment that falls under the Buy (Indian-IDDM) category. IDDM stands for Indigenously Designed, Developed, and Manufactured. This means the government will always prefer to buy a weapon that is invented and built in India over a weapon brought from a foreign country.
Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX)
For many years, only large government factories or massive private companies made defence equipment. However, brilliant ideas often come from young engineers, small businesses, and college students. To capture these modern ideas, the Ministry of Defence launched the Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) framework in 2018.
Key Features of iDEX:
- Objective: The goal of iDEX is to create an ecosystem that supports start-ups, individual innovators, and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in developing new technology for the military.
- Funding and Support: If a start-up has a great idea—for example, a new type of battery for a submarine or smart software for a drone—iDEX provides them with financial grants to build a working model (prototype).
- Testing: iDEX allows these young companies to work directly with military officers so they can test their inventions in real-life conditions.
- Management: The iDEX programme is funded and managed by a special body called the Defence Innovation Organisation (DIO).
The SRIJAN Portal
Another important step towards self-reliance is the SRIJAN portal. This is a special online platform launched by the Department of Defence Production.
On this website, the government lists thousands of military parts, electronic components, and tools that India currently imports from foreign countries. Indian companies and start-ups can look at this list, design those exact parts in India, and sell them to the government. This direct approach successfully reduces India’s import bills and boosts local manufacturing.
