Aatre task force to meet tomorrow on DPP

A high powered task force, headed by former DRDO chief V K Aatre to recommend guidelines for selecting Indian private firms for strategic partnership in the critical areas including submarines, aircraft and missiles, will be meeting here tomorrow.
Defence sources said this is the second meeting of the 10-member task force and they will take a detailed view about the issues at hand and various recommendations.
Strategic partnership was one of the proposals of the Dhirendra Singh committee which had recommended a slew of steps to ease the defence procurement procedure (DPP).
"Nothing is being finalised as of now," sources told PTI.

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar had said on September 3 that the Aatre committee, which has experts from banking, chartered accountancy among others, has been asked to submit a report within three weeks.
However, the report will take some more time, sources said adding that the recommendations will be a crucial part of the new DPP, which is unlikely to be adopted before 2016.

A number of defence deals hinges on the new DPP and its delay will hit the modernisation process, sources said. The new DPP was originally expected to come around April 2015.
One of the major deal hinging on the new policy is the P75-I project of the Indian Navy for building six new conventional submarines.

The recommendation by the Dhirendra Singh committee, set up to recommend changes to DPP 2013, had surprised many in the defence industry.
The draft DPP 2015 report had recommended that for wider 'Make in India', the government should adopt a strategic partnership model, whereby a private firm is chosen for the development of a specific identified platform.
Several Indian players are against this recommendation arguing that the government cannot select only one player for specific sector.
The six critical segments identified are - Aircraft and their major systems, warships of stated displacements, submarines and their major systems, armoured fighting vehicles and their major systems, complex weapons that rely on guidance system, C4ISTR (Command and Control System) and critical materials (special alloys and composites).

Even several original equipment manufacturers are against the concept arguing that they should have the liberty to choose an Indian partner.
"Also, restricting one group to one platform is unprecedented. Globally, every large defence firm has a land, air and naval segment," sources said.
The Aatre task force is expected to call leading Indian chambers of commerce on October 14 and original equipment manufacturers later on to give their side of opinion.