‘Design in India’ soon: Parrikar

Mumbai, Jan. 10: A new strategic materials policy that can promote production as well as storage of defense-related strategic materials will be announced soon, defense minister Manohar Parrikar said on Tuesday.

Parrikar also said the government is working on “Design in India” policy which will aim at building, enhancing and promoting designing capabilities of Indian manufacturers and entrepreneurs so that they can design products of world-class standards to compete with global counterparts and take advantage of “Make in India” programme.

“The government is set to introduce ‘Strategic Materials Policy’ soon,” Parrikar said inaugurating a three-day international conference & exhibition on reinforced plastics, 2017 here.

“The new Strategic Materials Policy can promote production as well as storage of defencerelated strategic materials,” he added.

The minister also assured the delegates at the conference that the Defence Procurement Policy will soon include composite products developed indigenously.

He was responding to a long standing demand of Indian composites industry to source defence equipment, components and ancillary material domestically from Indian manufacturers of composite products and extend support under the ‘Make in India’ programme. The defence minister also informed the gathering that the DPP will be updated soon.