Defence Economics & Industry

About Centre

India spends a significant amount of resources on its national defence. Efficiency in utilisation of resources is not only an economic imperative but vital for defence preparedness. In view of this, the Defence Economics and Industry Centre was created in 2006 to promote research on various economic aspects of India’s defence. Since its inception, the Centre has undertaken a number of policy relevant studies besides constantly engaging vital stakeholders (Ministry of Defence, Armed Forces and Industry) on a range of issues. The major focus areas of the Centre are:

Defence Acquisition
- Organisational and procedural improvement
- Offsets
Defence Industry
- Self-reliance in Defence Production
- Efficiency of Defence Public Sector Undertakings/Ordnance Factory Board
- Enhancing Private Sector Participation in Defence Production
Defence Research and Development
Defence Budget

Defence Reforms: Why is it Critical to Bite the Proverbial Bullet?

This policy brief attempts to suggest six critical policy imperatives that must act as guidelines for the ongoing attempt at defence reforms.

Vivek Chadha
September 11, 2017
Policy Brief

Making the Right to Information (RTI) work in Defence

Adhering to the RTI Act in letter and spirit will lead to more responsible decision-making, greater accountability, and more credibility to the actions of the MoD.

Amit Cowshish
August 21, 2017
Comment

13th Five-Year Defence Plan (2017-22) – A Re-Run of the Past

Achieving the intended outcomes of the 13th five-year defence plan is critically dependent on the ability of the Ministry of Finance to increase the defence budget by at least 100 per cent from next year onward.

Amit Cowshish
July 31, 2017
Comment

Transfer of Defence Technology: Moving beyond Self-Reliance towards Technological Superiority

Foreign collaborations optimised for profit, risk-sharing and a common goal of achieving technological superiority could well enable India to break into the global market in select areas.

Need for nurturing the ‘Make’ projects

It would be a bold gesture if MoD decides to categorise all development projects under Make-II. This will send a strong message to the industry and to the nation about MoD’s earnestness to promote private sector participation.

Amit Cowshish
July 14, 2017
Comment

The Tejas One Year After Induction – HAL must take ownership of the project

It behooves both HAL and ADA to work in synergy to meet the target of 16 aircraft per annum and ensure the successful and prompt completion of the Tejas Mk.1A project.

DIPP Accords Preference to Local Suppliers in Public Procurement

Indian industry, which is the intended beneficiary of this preference policy, needs to play a proactive role in facilitating the smooth implementation of the order.

Amit Cowshish
July 07, 2017
Comment

Ten Imponderables in the Strategic Partnership Scheme

Why the objective sought to be achieved through the strategic partnership scheme could not be attained by resorting to an existing provision in DPP 2016?

Amit Cowshish
June 22, 2017
Comment

Does Acquisition of Critical Technologies through ToT truly benefit India?

While developing critical defence technologies has undeniable benefits, their acquisition through Transfers of Technology brings numerous complexities and eventually may deliver limited benefits.

Changes in the SCOMET List: What it means for the Indian Defence Industry

The formal inclusion of the Munitions List within the SCOMET framework explicitly brings the defence industry under the purview of India’s global commitment to non-proliferation.