Indian firms have spurned some $15 billion worth of government tenders to make a range of weapons since 2013, defence ministry officials say, in a blow to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his drive to wean the country off imported arms.
Executives cited unrealistic quality demands from a military short of planes, tanks and guns as a key reason for their reluctance to bid for projects. Complicating things further, the military doesn’t want weapons from Indian firms with no track record in defence manufacturing, experts said.
Irked by India’s status as the world’s biggest arms importer, Modi wants to build an advanced defence industry but almost a year into his “Make in India” campaign, which aims to turn the country into a manufacturing powerhouse, not one large domestic weapons project has been awarded.
Tenders for anything from air defence guns to surface-to-air missiles to transport planes have lapsed, defence ministry officials told Reuters. The tenders total around $15 billion according to a Reuters compilation of offers since early 2013.
via Lapsed tenders hurt Modi’s ‘Make in India’ defence industry push | Reuters.
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