NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Defence (MoD) is working to review the Defence Procurement Procedure to speed up procurement and incorporate suitable changes in order to strengthen the ‘Make in India’ initiative.
In a release on Saturday, the ministry said Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had approved setting up of a committee under the chairmanship of director general (acquisition) to review the Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) and Defence Procurement Manual (DPM).
The committee, to be chaired by Apurva Chandra, has been given six months to submit its recommendations. The committee, apart from a DG (acquisition), will have 11 other members, all of them above or equivalent to the rank of a joint secretary or a Major General.
The task assigned to the committee is to revise and align the procedures with the aim of ensuring a seamless flow from asset acquisition to life cycle support, according to the release.
The terms of reference of the committee include revising the procedures as given in DPP and DPM, in order to remove procedural bottlenecks and hasten defence acquisitions; aligning and standardising the provisions in DPP and DPM to optimise life cycle support for equipment; and facilitating greater participation of industry and developing a robust defence industrial base.
Mandate of the committee:
Facilitating greater participation of Industry and developing a defence industrial base are part of the panel’s terms of reference.
This will be done by simplifying the policy and procedures. The panel can include provisions to promote Indian start-ups and research & development