Indian Private Companies To Set Up Arms Factories

Indian private companies, Bharat Forge, ABG Shipyard, Pipavav Defense and Offshore Engineering Company will now be able to set up defense and explosive manufacturing units.

An inter-ministerial committee chaired by Secretary in the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) Amitabh Kant on Wednesday cleared most of 144 proposals for setting up manufacturing units that included defense and explosive sectors.

This will be the first time where in private companies’ proposal to set up weapons manufacturing units has been approved.

An Indian news agency report quoting an unnamed s DIPP official said that the panel considered the proposals of Bharat Forge Ltd in Maharashtra for small arms, weapons and fuse devices. ABG Shipyard, Pipavav Defence and Offshore Engineering Company Ltd too had submitted proposals for weapons and arms manufacture.

“Majority of the proposals which were considered today were approved,” the official said.

Of the proposals that applied for clearances, 43 were from defense manufacturing sector and 97 from explosive sector. As many as 91 proposals in the explosive sectors were cleared, sources said.