Written by: Express News Service
2 min readNew DelhiApr 11, 2012 03:26 AM IST
First published on: Apr 11, 2012 at 03:26 AM IST
Emphasising that modernisation of the force cannot be done in fits and starts,Defence Minister A K Antony on Tuesday said the government will provide all assistance to the Indian Air Force IAF to meet its growth plans and decrease its dependence on foreign companies for major aircraft and equipment.
Antony,while inaugurating IAFs biannual Commanders Conference here,said capacity building of the force is a steady process and government will continue to support its modernisation during the next three Five-Year Plan periods.
The government is aware of the need to modernise IAF at a rapid pace and of its long-term plans for capacity building. Modernisation is a continuous,time-consuming process and cannot be accelerated in fits and starts, the Defence Minister said.
Observing with satisfaction that the budget allotted to IAF has been utilised fully,he said,We have put in place detailed procurement procedures,so while a number of procurement schemes have been finalised,others are being processed for approval and are in various stages.
Capacity-building of the force involves both upgradation of existing systems and platforms and the government has taken several steps in this direction,Antony said.
The Defence Minister reiterated the need for indigenisation in defence procurement to achieve the goal of self-reliance.
Noting that the government is acutely aware of the urgent need to encourage indigenisation and take steps towards self-reliance in defence production,he said indigenisation will not only help domestic economy,but will also reduce our excessive dependence on foreign countries.
The Defence Minister stressed that indigenisation should be encouraged,so the IAF need not rely on foreign Original Equipment Manufacturers for procurement of major aircraft and equipment.
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