Border tensions may spoil India's plan to boost manufacture of weapons

Modi's efforts to transform the world's biggest arms importer into a defense manufacturing powerhouse have remained a non-starter since the idea was first proposed in 2014

India’s move to ban the import of some weapon systems and military hardware to boost local manufacturing is being hindered by its push to procure as much as $2 billion in equipment to increase its defense preparedness as it faces a border stand-off with China and volatile relations with Pakistan.

The new curbs on $47 billion worth of imports that include communication satellites, conventional submarines and light machine guns, announced Aug. 9, failed to address critical issues such as the certification of systems and locally-made components, and will not prevent the military from making emergency purchases of equipment from foreign