New Delhi, June 10 (TIWN) Under its "Aatma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan", the Narendra Modi government has decided to soon initiate procurement of arms and ammunition from local industries to reduce import dependence on foreign Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs).

In this direction, India is expected to cut short the artillery list of imports this year because guns that have lately been inducted into the army such as M777 howitzers, K9 Vajra and Dhanush are being manufactured in India.

To promote indigenous defence manufacturing and reduce imports, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, last month, had announced that a list of weapons and equipment banned for import would be made in consultation with the Department of Military Affairs headed by the Chief of Defence Staff.

In a bid to boost domestic manufacturing of arms and ammunition under the government''s ''Make in India'' initiative, the MHA in 2017 had notified new Arms rules that allow arms manufacturing licences to be valid for the lifetime of the licensee company. Prior to this notification, such licenses had to be renewed every five years.

The liberalised rules only apply to licences granted by the MHA to small arms and ammunition companies, and those granted by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), under powers delegated it, for tanks and other armoured vehicles, spacecraft, defence aircraft, warships of all kinds, arms and ammunition and allied items of defence equipment other than small arms.

There are nearly 100 firms licensed by the MHA for the manufacture of guns (single barrel/double barrel) and around 30 firms manufacturing cartridges (blank or live cartridges or both) up to the quota permitted in their licences.

Max Aerospace, Bharat Forge, L&T and Punj Lloyd are among the Indian firms who legally manufacture arms and ammunition.