India achieved yet another impossible milestone. India’s Arms Import has come Down by 33% from 2011-15 to 2016-20, as per Sipri Report on International Arms Transfer (SIPRI) is an independent international institute dedicated to research into conflict, armaments, arms control and disarmament. Stockholm International Peace Research Institute is an international institute based in Stockholm. It was founded in 1966 and provides data, analysis and recommendations for armed conflict, military expenditure and arms trade as well as disarmament and arms control.
In its study released on Monday, SIPRI stated, “Arms imports by India decreased by 33 per cent between 2011–15 and 2016–20. Russia was the most affected supplier, although India’s imports of US arms also fell, by 46 per cent.”
The report attributed the fall not to the government’s push to make India self-reliant in defence manufacturing, but to factors including reducing the dependence on Russian arms, and the complex procurement procedure.
The drop in Indian arms imports seems to have been mainly due to its complex procurement processes, combined with an attempt to reduce its dependence on Russian arms. The report also mentioned that in the coming years, India has planned for several large-scale arms imports through several suppliers.
Last year the government had announced a negative imports list of 101 defence equipment and platforms. Also, over 60 per cent of the capital expenditure, Rs 70,221 crore, for the armed forces has been allocated for domestically produced weapons and platforms this year.
The report stated that “international transfers of major arms stayed at the same level between 2011–15 and 2016–20” as the “substantial increases in transfers by three of the top five arms exporters — the USA, France and Germany — were largely offset by declining Russian and Chinese arms exports”. The report said middle eastern arms imports grew by 25 per cent during this period and was driven by Saudi Arabia, with a 61 per cent increase, and Egypt and Qatar, which saw a jump of 136 per cent and 361 per cent, respectively.
Source: The Indian Express
