Ministry of Defence nod to India Inc to build light tank, defence equipment

Projects under Make-I to be govt-funded; under Make-II, industry-funded

In a major boost to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Aatmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India) campaign, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has offered India’s industry four projects for design and development (D&D) under the Make-I category of the Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) 2020. 

The MoD will extend financial support to the industry for prototype development of these projects. The projects that were accorded “approval in-principle” (or AIP) by the MoD’s Collegiate Committee include an Indian light tank that has been mooted for defending the northern Himalayan and Karakoram borders against any offensive by China.

Since the two-year confrontation with Chinese troops in Ladakh, Indians