The Defence Procurement Policy has been finalised and has received consent from the Defence Acquisition Committee, said Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Monday, adding that it will be published next month. Under the policy, India-made products will be given top priority, he added.

Parrikar, after a whirlwind visit of the Make in India programme, told media persons that the armed forces will have to first consider indigenous products while procurement.

However, that does not mean the process will get delayed. The equipment can be imported even as a scheme for indigenously designing and developing similar product is carried out, he added.

He pointed out that the Aakash missile system is more than 90 per cent designed and developed in India. Its production would be soon doubled and about 10 per cent of the missile systems would be exported.

Parrikar said skill development has to be tied with defence production, as local manufacturing increases the demand for trained manpower. For example, the making of indigenous helicopters and jet fighters alone will require one lakh skilled workers in the next four years, he said.

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