A thorough examination and audit of military procurement procedures would be carried out by the Ministry of Defence, with a particular emphasis on locating and removing components of Chinese origin from equipment that is provided to the Indian armed forces.
Growing national security concerns are the driving force behind this initiative, which seeks to guarantee defense procurement are transparent and independent.
The hiring of an outside consultant with experience in cost and data analysis is a crucial component of this reform. Since prior investigations have shown that some vendors made exaggerated claims of local content although a sizable amount of their systems came from foreign—often Chinese—sources, the consultant’s role includes auditing the genuine extent of indigenous content in capital acquisition instances.
In order to exclude Chinese components and technologies from defense platforms, the ministry will also determine whether any of the systems being sold are supplied from nations that share a land border with India.
In the field of drones and anti-drone systems, where domestic companies have been known to use Chinese components—sometimes smuggled through third nations to conceal their origin—the problem is especially severe.
Intelligence organizations have cautioned that these elements may lead to serious weaknesses that might let enemies breach operational security, software, and communications. The Defense Ministry has already urged industry participants to stay away from Chinese vendors and closely follow security regulations by issuing advisories and implementing preventative actions.
with addition to verifying the content, the outside consultant will assist the ministry with mapping supply chain vulnerabilities for essential products, keeping an eye on international dependencies, and performing thorough cost evaluations of procurement procedures.
In light of worries that some private bidders have provided wildly low quotes for prototype development—raising concerns that exorbitant costs may eventually be passed on to the end user—this involves assessing the valuation of patents and transfer of technology cases overseen by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
These actions are a part of a larger effort to reduce the risks associated with global supply chain disruptions, protect against hidden foreign dependencies, and accelerate essential acquisitions for the armed forces.
In keeping with a strategic move towards more indigenization and resilience in India’s defense industry ecosystem, the ministry has designated 2025 as a milestone year for these reforms.
