Union Minister of State for Home Affairs G. Kishan Reddy said that the government has decided to procure arms and ammunition for the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) from domestic manufacturers as part of the strategy to promote indigenous manufacturing of arms, ammunitions and other security products under ‘Make in India’ to promote ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan’.
Addressing FICCI webinar on ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat: Opportunities for Homeland Security Industry’ on Wednesday, Mr Reddy said, “Atmanirbharta is a well thought of roadmap to strengthen a strong public-private partnership culture. For many years the country was dependent on worldwide OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) for procuring arms and ammunitions but now the government has decided to soon initiate procurement from local industries to reduce import dependence”.
Urging the private industries to come forward, he said that government is open to solve the issues of the industry. “There is a need for the private sector to be price competitive and focus on quality in production. It should not only cater to the domestic needs, but also be able to export products,” he said.
The government is in the process of upgrading various testing centres and labs in the country. It will also use the government portal to promote domestic products. “We need to find multiple ways to help India recover from the severe economic crisis which is being faced because of the pandemic,” said FICCI president Sangita Reddy.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) must play the role of ‘Market Maker’ and the same should be reflected in terms of policy framework at the ministry level,” said FICCI Homeland Security Committee Rahul Chaudhry.
