GD: Which is Better Foreign Acquisition or Indigenous Production. Foreign Acquisition: India after being independent, acquired jets, artillery guns, jeeps, etc. from foreign countries. These added strength to the armed forces but simultaneously became a matter of discussion over the cases and controversies that followed these deals.
Pros:
Fast Improvement in Military Strength – After independence, when India was not economically stable, faced a war with Pakistan and after 15 years India faces a war with China. These wars initiated a requirement of modern weapons and machines for battle. So India acquired MiG-21, MiG 29, jeeps and later on acquired Bofors gun, Mirage 2000, INS Viraat, Jaguar etc. These weapons made India fully prepared to face the war and also gain victory.
Improve Relations – India has acquired many warheads from Russia, France, U.S. and other countries. These deals have improved the relations of India with these developed economies and also tightened military relations with them.
Cons:
Scams and Scandals
- Jeep Scandal – Just after achieving independence, Indian government faced a major corruption scandal that got surfaced which was India’s first biggest corruption scandal worth Rs 80 lakhs for 200 jeeps.
- Bofors Scam – Bofors guns, which were the game changer in Kargil war, were also hit by corruption. The deal was between India and Sweden for 410 field howitzer guns. Some government officials were accused of receiving kickbacks (or you can say bribe) for finalizing the deal.
- Augusta Westland Scam – A fresh example, named as chopper gate, is the deal between India and Augusta Westland for Rs. 36 billion. Some politicians and military officials were accused of accepting a bribe for finalizing this contract of 12 Agusta Westland AW101 helicopter which has to be used for VVIP duties.
Controversies – Rafale controversy was a citation of it. Rafale’s deal was started in a different way and came to a different end unexpectedly. The deal was for 126 jets out of which 18 will be transported to India while left 108 will be developed by HAL in India. But money related issues and DASAULT’s rejection for taking a guarantee of those 108 jets was the cause of delays in the deal. And when P.M. Narendra Modi visited France this year, he signed the deal of 36 jets which would be acquired by India in fly away conditions. The deal is still covered on the pages.
Indigenous Production
These days India is preforming well in producing warheads indigenously, which seems to be a better option than acquiring from foreign nations. Prime minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Make in India’ has taken India to a next level of self-dependency. Tejas LAC, ARJUN tank, INS Vikrant are some of the examples of India’s fight for a self-productive drive.
Decreases Dependency– Indigenous development of warheads decreases the dependency of the Indian government over other countries for modern technology and weapons. This will make India a self-dependent country.
Increases Technological Advancement– The technological advancement in indigenous development lures the new generation towards the nation’s defense production. Idea forge is a company formed by IIT Powai, alumni collaborated with DRDO in developing UAV Netra, with a major purpose of anti-terrorism and counter insurgency.
Increases Military Dominance– Indigenous development of military weapons with new technology and efficient performance of warheads makes a distinct image of India in the world. India has world’s third largest army and world’s biggest volunteer army. If India got required weapons indigenously, then India will become incomparably strong.
Well, some short comings are also there in the case of indigenous development like Indian Army had sent back Arjun tank back to DRDO after encountering many problems in it. But up-gradation can rectify the problem in machines. As India is going fast in economic and military development, it is necessary to become self-dependent and modernize its weapons.
