Rajnath Singh launches online portal 'SRIJAN' to promote indigenisation in defence production

New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday launched an online portal that provides information about defence equipment and items that can be taken up for indigenisation by private sector companies. Moreover, the Defence Ministry said two memorandum of understandings (MoUs) were signed between Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and the defence public sector undertakings (DPSUs) in the presence of Singh on Friday, the concluding day of “Atmanirbhar week”. Similarly, two MoUs were signed between private entities and the DPSUs on Friday. According to the ministry, the defence minister on Friday said, “Till sometime back, for our defence procurement, we have been looking towards the best technologies available in the world. But now our outlook has changed.” “We are thinking on how to manufacture latest equipment ourselves or through joint ventures or transfer-of-technology,” he added, as per the ministry’s statement. The aforementioned online portal that will promote indigenisation of defence items’ production is called “SRIJAN”. The DPSUs, Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) and headquarters of the armed forces (SHQs) can display on SRIJAN those items that are being imported currently so that the Indian industry can design, develop and manufacture them domestically as per its capability, the ministry noted. It said the concerned DPSU or the OFB or the SHQ will interact with the Indian industry based on its requirement of the equipment and as per the guidelines. The ministry said Goa Shipyard Limited signed an MoU on Friday with Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Goa on areas such as artificial intelligence, internet of things and computational field dynamics. An MoU on development of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or drones was signed between BEML Limited and IIT Kanpur. The company also signed an MoU with Nasscom, the Bengaluru-based apex body of IT companies. The Mazgaon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) signed an MOU on Friday for “indigenous overhauling of main motor of SSK Class Submarines” with Medha Servo Drives Private Limited. During the weeklong Atmanirbhar Bharat celebrations, the ministry said new facilities were launched, contracts and MoUs were signed and Expression of Interests (EOIs)/Request for Proposals (RFP) were issued. The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) issued an EOI for indigenisation of 46 items having a total value of Rs 100 crores, said the ministry. These items are for a Russian project. The Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) issued an EOI for indigenisation of five items having a total value of Rs 31 crore. Similarly, Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) issued an EOI for indigenisation of 11 items having a total value of Rs 15 crore.