Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Monday met representatives from industries related to defence, and discussed the concept of 'strategic partners' as decided by the government, an official said.
The meeting was "very positive" and representatives from the industry were explained the concept of strategic partners, said the defence ministry official.
"The view of the representatives from the industries was heard, and it was felt that there is a need to have more meetings," the official said.
Such meetings will be held over the next 45 days, and the defence minister will attend all of them.
"Once the meetings are done with, a final action plan will be prepared," said the official who did not want to be named.
The representatives included those from industrial chambers CII, Ficci, Assocham, PHD Chambers of Commerce and also from small and medium enterprises.
The meeting comes after reservations were expressed over the concept which calls for identifying one or two partners in key defence manufacturing fields.
After a report from the Dhirendra Singh committee that suggested finding strategic partners for high-end defence production, a task force was constituted by the defence ministry under former DRDO chief V.K. Aatre.
The committee's report has been submitted, and it has categorised the sectors into two groups.
The first group includes aircraft, helicopters, aero engines, submarines, warships, guns, including artillery guns, and armoured vehicles including tanks, and it has been suggested that only one partner should be finalised for these.
The second group includes metallic material and alloys, non-metallic material, including composites and polymers, and ammunition including smart ammunition, for which the Task Force said two partners can be identified.
--IANS
ao/pm/bg
