Import of certain items to be banned in defence sector

New Delhi: In a bid to boost the domestic defence sector, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar today said he will soon come out with a policy under which certain items will be banned from importing.

"I do not see any reason why we should not export because the items we are specialised in are the items which we don't import much. We are thinking of policies through which import of certain items will be banned in defence sector in India...

which is going to be part of a policy," he said.

The Minister said the policy is slowly shaping up after talking to all stakeholders.

"We hope we will be able to soon come out with it," he said addressing a seminar here.

The government is pushing for 'Make in India' initiative in the defence sector as it wants to drastically bring down the nearly 60 per cent dependence on foreign products.

The government is set to come out with a new Defence Procurement Policy that will include certain initiatives and new procedures to make the Make in India plan a reality.

While the draft has been prepared, it is currently been circulated among the stakeholders including the industry.