Budget constraints force Army to cut down order for rifles
Budgetary constraints have forced the Indian Army to order 250,000 modern assault rifles, as against 800,000 rifles, its original requirement worth $2.5 billion, wrote Bloomberg. The rest of the demand will be met by purchasing a mix of 400,000 Kalashnikov and INSAS rifles. According to the report, ordering just one-third rifles will also speed up deliveries to replace the two-decade-old Indian INSAS rifles.
Held back by bureaucratic delays: Report
"Plans to buy new equipment from overseas, however, have been held back by bureaucratic delays and the military's desire to balance the needs of its troops against efforts to build equipment domestically under Modi's 'Make in India' program," said the Bloomberg report.
Part of Modi's push to modernize India's armed forces
The Indian Army's spending is a part of PM Modi's $250 billion push to modernize armed forces. A scouting team will leave this month to meet foreign makers to explore the most suitable weapon for the Army. They shall examine Colt's Manufacturing Company LLC, Italy's Fabbrica d'Armi Pietro Beretta S.p.A, Swiss Sig Sauer Inc., the Czech Republic's Ceska Zbrojovka and Israel Weapons Industry Ltd.
Buy and Make (Indian) initiative
In February, Defense Ministry had approved acquisitions worth Rs. 15,935 crore to strengthen the armed forces. The approval included the purchase of 7.4L assault rifles, 5,719 sniper rifles and light machine guns (LMGs), and more to be produced under 'Buy and Make (Indian)' initiative. But the quality of Indian ammunition has been questionable. Last year in June, army rejected Indian assault rifles after they had failed the firing tests.
