Lok Sabha Question No. 2613 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-01-03
Subject: Largest Armed Forces
Ministry: DEFENCE
Asked by: Adhikari Dibyendu

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF DEFENCE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENCE

## LOK  SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2613

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 3 RD  JANUARY, 2018

## LARGEST  ARMED  FORCES

2613.  SHRI  DIBYENDU  ADHIKARI:

Will the Minister of DEFENCE j{kk ea=h be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the country has the third largest armed forces in the world;
- (b) if  so,  whether  the  country  was  the world's  largest arms  importer during  the  last three years and the current year;
- (c) if  so,  the  funds  allocated  and  the  arms  and  equipment  imported  during  the  last three years and the current year; and
- (d) the  details  of  procurement  policies  to  promote  greater  collaboration  between international defence manufacturers  and the  Indian private  sector  in  respect of  Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)?

## A    N    S    W    E    R

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF DEFENCE

र  ा रा य मं ी

(DR. SUBHASH BHAMRE)

(डा. सुभाष भामरे)

- (a) India has adequate number of armed forces personnel to safeguard its borders.

(b) to (d): Procurement of defence equipment is undertaken from various domestic as well as foreign vendors, based on threat perception, operational challenges and technological changes and to keep the Armed Forces  in  a  state  of  readiness  to  meet  the  entire  spectrum  of  security challenges.

Capital procurement of defence equipment is carried out as per the extant  defence  procurement  procedure.    During  the  last  three  years  and current year (upto 30.11.2017), 119 contracts involving Rs.1,16,522.89 crore have been signed with Indian vendors and 68 contracts involving Rs.1,24,291.33  crore  have  been  signed  with foreign vendors for capital

procurement of defence equipment for Armed Forces.  The expenditure on purchase  of  defence  equipment  from  Indian  and  foreign  vendors  is incurred  from  allocated  Capital  Budget.    The  Budget  allocation  and  the expenditure on capital acquisition during last three years are given below:

(Rs. in Crore)

| Year    |   Revised Estimate |   Expenditure (Capital Acquisition) |
|---------|--------------------|-------------------------------------|
| 2014-15 |            66151.7 |                             65862.4 |
| 2015-16 |            65400   |                             62235.5 |
| 2016-17 |            62619.4 |                             68252.9 |

Government  is  pursuing  initiatives to achieve higher levels of indigenisation  and  self-reliance  in  the  defence  sector  by  harnessing  the capabilities  of  the  public  and  private  sector  industries  in  the  country. These measures include according priority and preference to procurement from Indian vendors and liberalized licensing regime.

Government has also promulgated the policy on Strategic Partnership  in  the  defence  Sector  which  is  intended  to  institutionalise a transparent and objective mechanism to encourage broader participation of  the  private  sector  in  manufacture  of  major  defence  platforms  and equipment.

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