In a significant step on the long road towards achieving self-reliance in the defence sector, the Government of India has announced to ban the import of 101 types of weapons and ammunition over the next five years... from artillery guns to light military transport aircraft and conventional submarines to long-range land attack cruise missiles.

    Under the “Atmanirbhar” plan, the contracts worth over Rs 4 Lakh Crore will be placed upon the domestic industry within the next six to seven years. Of these, items worth almost Rs 1,30,000 Crore each are anticipated for the Army and the Air Force, while items worth nearly Rs 1,40,000 Crore are anticipated by the Navy over the same period.

    The list includes wheeled Armoured Fighting Vehicles (AFVs) with indicative import embargo date of December 2021, of which the Army is expected to contract almost 200 at an approximate cost of over Rs 5,000 Crore. For years....