New Delhi — On Wednesday, India approved a long-awaited policy to boost local defence manufacturing by effectively picking industry champions that will tie up with foreign players and make high-tech defence equipment. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has vowed to end India’s role as the world’s largest arms importer by getting foreign firms to impart technology to local players and then manufacture them in India. Under the "strategic partnership" model, the government will short-list and then pick Indian companies to join forces with foreign firms to supply fighter jets, helicopters, armoured vehicles and submarines. "For each platform, one private sector strategic partner will be chosen," defence minister Arun Jaitley told reporters after the cabinet’s committee on security cleared the policy. He said the policy was designed to encourage manufacturing by assuring the selected companies of future orders. "You don’t set up a manufacturing facility if you don’t have any hope of getting or...
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