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The Platform for Indian Defence Industry
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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF'S NOTE
The major events during the last fortnight were the Budget presentation in the Parliament and the first conclave hosted by Defence Innovators and Industry Association (DIIA).
The budget has been covered analytically in our exclusive coverage and reflects an increased layout of 13.63 and 6.07 percentages when compared to allocations at the Revised Estimate stage of 2014-2015 for Revenue and Capital expenditure heads, respectively. There is also a major increase of 36.68 percent in provisioning for pensions on account of OROP announced by the government. Overall, though the budget presented is not the most elating experience for Indian Defence Industry, yet there is enough should the MoD and the services put together their efforts to ensure no surrender of funds.
DIIA's inaugural conclave was a grand success. The Raksha Mantri initiated the proceedings by deviating from the usual norm addressing the delegates and instead opting for an hour long Q&A session. Innumerable issues that have distinctive effect on the IDI and especially MSMEs cropped up. The other sessions were focused on critical areas of concern to the industry. The first ever DIIA meet also brought together a large number of Industry leaders under the same roof, providing an opportunity to network. The apprehensions of innovators were discussed at length with the Raksha Mantri tasking DIIA to forward comprehensive papers on the more important issues to him. DIIA members confidence in their ability to give a powered thrust to indegenise design, development and Make in India in the defence sector, was all to visible.
In the news, South China Sea provided enough reasons for disquiet. Reportedly, the Chinese have placed surface-to-air missiles and advanced jet fighters on Woody Island in the Paracel chain while turning reefs into artificial islands in the Spratly Islands. The islands are disputed, and off late Chinese activities have been viewed as a threat to South China Sea retaining the status of International waters.
Among other stories was the possibility of Indians pursuing a fourth aircraft carrier project? The partners for the project have so far not been finalized. The Russians and Americans seem to be in the fray.
Lt General Stephen R. Lanza Commanding General 1 Corps, US Army visited India last fortnight. We were the only media outfit that was granted an exclusive interview by the General. Joint training was the prime focus, while concerns in South China Sea and US rebalance of forces were among multiple subjects that were discussed. |
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SOME OF OUR SPECIAL FEATURES THIS FORTNIGHT
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EVENT
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DIIA INAUGURAL CONCLAVE
Last week, the whirlpool of Delhi's hectic schedule also witnessed an event with a difference. The Defence Innovators and Industry Association (DIIA), whose members, mostly MSMEs, are a reflection of the new Indian breed of entrepreneurs who have the guts to go beyond the often hyped Make in India concept and passionately create sub-systems and equipment that is Designed, Developed, and Made In India.
DIIA, an association of defence industries with an ambitious goal of becoming self-reliant in defence through indigenous design and development, hosted its inaugural conference attended by Hon'ble Union Minister for Defence, Manohar Parrikar. Making a departure from norms and shunning an address to delegates, he instead opted for an hour long question and answer session with a well-informed and involved audience. The focus of the session was in consonance with the theme of the conference - Self-Reliance in Defence Through Design and Development. Read More...
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US rebalance to Asia Pacific aimed at providing economic security, says top US General
Lt General Stephen R. Lanza Commanding General 1 Corps, US Army visited India this week. BharatShakti.in was the only media outfit that was granted an exclusive interview by the General. The General interacted frankly with Nitin A Gokhale and Brig SK Chatterji of BSI, and expressed a desire to enhance the inter-active relationship between the personnel of both armies, including junior levels in order to build a better understanding of each other as the relationship progresses. Read More...
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Decoding the Defence Budget 2016-17
Amit Cowshish wrote for us an in-depth analysis of the defence allocation of Mr. Arun Jaitely's Union Budget speech.
He says, "there has been a complete restructuring of the defence budget this year which complicates comparison between the current and next years' budgets... the Budget Estimate (BE) of the coming fiscal represents an embarrassingly low growth with reference to the BE of the current year. This is bound to disappoint, notwithstanding the fact that the increase in the next year's budget is not all that dismal if it is compared with the Revised Estimates (RE) of the current year". Read More... |
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Need to Expeditiously Modernise Army Air Defence
By Major Gen P K Chakravorty
The AAD has begun the modernisation process in right earnest by undertaking proactive measures to induct new indigenous equipment. The Akash weapon system is a force multiplier which would help to optimise Indian Army's Air Defence systems. Early decisions on manufacture of air defence gun systems within the country and a concerted drive to improve the air defence control and reporting system are urgent necessities from operational readiness point of view. Read More... |
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The IDDM Policy Proposal: A Step Forward to Breed Innovation
By Amol A Gokhale
It is understood that a foolproof system to clearly arrive at the indigenous content may be an arduous or even impossible task. However, a committee of experts from technical, commercial, financial and legal backgrounds can surely suggest different definitions which are practical, verifiable and which can withstand scrutiny of law. Suggestions from industry forums such as FICCI, CII can also be invited so that there is consensus on the subject. Read More... |
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At BharatShakti.in, our RFI/RFP pages attempt to inform you of business opportunities. While the Industry Capabilities listing page gives you details of various IDIs, their product range, niche capabilities and contact information, thus easing your search for the right partner for your business activities. Our Policy page is a repository of knowledge, hosting relevant government and departmental documents required for transacting in the area defence production. It also devotes space to FAQs on defence procurement that would be updated.
We at BharatShakti.in invite you all to be a part of our team. Do visit our pages regularly. Write to us, list your defence capabilities with us and engage with us. It’s BharatShakti’s faith and belief that the Indian Defence Industry is capable of addressing most of the requirements of Indian Armed Forces.
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