The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) is chaired by Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. (File Photo)
The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), chaired by Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, on Saturday approved procurement proposals worth around Rs 46,000 crore for defence services, officials said.
The DAC — the ministry’s highest decision-making body on procurement — also gave nod for procuring 111 utility helicopters for the Indian Navy at a cost of over Rs 21,000 crore. The project is the first under Ministry of Defence’s Strategic Partnership (SP) model that aims at providing significant fillip to ‘Make in India’ programme.
The model envisages indigenous manufacturing of major defence platforms by an Indian Strategic Partner, who will collaborate with foreign OEM, acquire niche technologies and set up production facilities in the country.
The DAC also approved a few other proposals amounting to approximately Rs 24,879.16 crore, which include nod for procurement of 150 Indigenously Designed and Developed 155 mm Advanced Towed Artillery Gun Systems for the Army at an approximate cost of Rs 3,364.78 crore. These guns have been indigenously designed and developed by DRDO and will be manufactured by production agencies, as nominated by the DRDO.