Replying to a question in the Lok Sabha, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said, "The license manufacturing/transfer of technology was not sought as it would not have been cost effective for a order of this size."
India had inked an inter-governmental agreement with France in September 2016 for the procurement of 36 Rafale fighter jets at a cost of around Rs 58,000 crore, nearly one- and-half years after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the proposal during a visit to Paris.
The UPA government was negotiating the original 126- fighter aircraft deal but it could not fructify.
Sitharaman said that the request for proposal (RFP) for 126 medium multi role combat aircraft (MMRCA) was formally withdrawn in June 2015 as the contract negotiations had reached an impasse.
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The defence minister said that state-run aerospace major Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd has no role in the Rafale deal.
Asked about the time by which the offset commitments of France towards setting up a research and development in the country as part of Rafale deal would be realised, she said the current policy permits the vendors to provide the details either at the time of seeking offset credits or one year prior to discharge of offset obligations.
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