Govt bans import of 108 defence items to boost self-reliance

In August 2020, the government prepared a list 101 items on which there would be an embargo on import to give a push to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan’ (Self-Reliant India Movement).

The central government on Monday notified a second list banning 108 defence items that cannot be imported by the armed forces in order to promote self-reliance in the defence sector. The list, called ‘positive indigenisation list’, will be implemented progressively from December 2021 to December 2025, the defence ministry said in a statement.

Representational: The embargo for items in the first list, then called ‘negative import list’, kicks in for different items between 2020 and 2025. (Photo @airnews_abad)

This is the second such list to be notified by the government in less than a year.

In August 2020, the government prepared a list 101 items on which there would be an embargo on import to give a push to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan’ (Self-Reliant India Movement). The embargo for items in the first list, then called ‘negative import list’, kicks in for different items between 2020 and 2025.

The second list consists of several military systems including specified types of helicopters, next-generation corvettes, airborne early warning and Control (AEW&C) systems, tank engines, medium power radar for mountains, medium-range surface to air missile systems and anti-material rifles, the ministry said in statement on Monday.

The second list lays special focus on weapons/systems which are currently under development/trials and are likely to translate into firm orders in the future, the ministry said.