Umm. Was this not the policy before? Conversely, was it India's policy before this document to buy from foreign sources by default?
Can't fault the MoD here -- this is as honest as it gets. They didn't give two rats about the private sector before this, so now they will. Wow. Just wondering why they feel the need to enunciate this now. And now, the best one of all:
"Service Headquarters (SHQs), while laying down the qualitative requirements for defence equipment/ weapon systems/ platforms to be developed/ integrated/ made, will exercise due diligence at all times to keep in view feasibility and practicabilityof the QRs."
Ha! Ha! You have to hand it to the Defence Production department for giving it straight. As with the above two points, it's the converse that's the story -- this guideline suggests that the armed forces have never exercised "due diligence" when laying down requirements so far.
On a serious note, I'm not sure anyone (perhaps not even the folks who wrote it) fully understand what purpose it really serves. Is it a policy document? Is it a brochure to remind folks about what they already know? Is it just departmental hubris? What is it! If you really want to, read the rest of it
here [.pdf].
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