The government said the approval for the project will help India achieve targets in its 30-year submarine construction programme

A ‘Make in India’ project worth ₹ 43,000 crore to build six conventional submarines has been cleared by the Defence Acquisition Council, headed by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, the government said in a statement on Friday.

The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) has approved a request for proposal (RFP) for the project to be run under ‘strategic partnership mode’ – the first such military hardware acquisition project under this model, according to the government.

The government said the approval for the project will help India achieve targets in its 30-year submarine construction programme.

“…The DAC approved issue of RFP for construction of six conventional submarines under Project P 75 (I) under the strategic partnership model… This is a landmark approval, being the first case processed under the strategic partnership model,” the government said in the statement.

The first submarine under this project is not expected to enter service with the Indian Navy for at least another seven years.

“This would be one of the largest ‘Make in India’ projects and will serve to facilitate faster and more significant absorption of technology and create a tiered industrial ecosystem for submarine construction in India. From a strategic perspective, this will help reduce current dependence on imports and gradually ensure greater self-reliance and dependability of supplies from indigenous sources,” it said.

The DAC also approved several other acquisitions. The Indian Army has been working for a long time to modernise its air defence guns. “These had been earlier procured only from foreign sources. With the continued thrust of the Ministry of Defence towards Atma Nirbhar Bharat and ‘Make in India’, an enthusiastic response from about a dozen Indian companies was received,” the government said.

“All of them have expressed their willingness and commitment to manufacture this complex gun system and associated equipment by ensuring technology assimilation in India. Accordingly, the DAC approved procurement of air defence guns and ammunition at an approximate cost of ₹ 6,000 crore under the buy and make (Indian) category,” it said.