Defence Testing Infrastructure Scheme

Part of: GS-III- CULTURE (PT-MAINS-PERSONALITY TEST)

Recently, the government has approved the launch of the ‘Defence Testing Infrastructure Scheme (DTIS)’ in order to give a boost to domestic defence and aerospace manufacturing.

The Government has accorded high priority to the development of the manufacturing base of the Defence and Aerospace sectors in the country under the “Make in India” initiative to reduce dependence on imports.

• In the above context, the government has already announced the establishment of Defence Industrial Corridors (DICs) in Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.
• But, still one of the main impediments for domestic defence production is the lack of easily accessible state-of-the-art testing infrastructure.
• Defence Testing Infrastructure is capital intensive requiring continuous upgradation and it is not economically viable for individual defence industrial units to set up in-house testing facilities.

Objectives

• The Scheme aims to promote indigenous defence production, with a special focus on the participation of MSMEs and Start-Ups by bridging gaps in defence testing infrastructure in the country.

• It will also help to provide easy access and to meet the testing needs of the domestic defence industry.
• It will facilitate indigenous defence production, consequently reduce imports of military equipment and help make the country self-reliant.

Finance and Cooperation:

• The Scheme has an outlay of Rs 400 crore for creating state of the art testing infrastructure over the duration of five years. It envisages to set up test facilities in partnership with private industry.
• The projects under the Scheme will be provided with up to 75% government funding in the form of ‘Grant-in-Aid’.
• The remaining 25% of the project cost will have to be borne by the Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) whose constituents will be Indian private entities and State Governments.
  Only private entities registered in India and State Government agencies will qualify for forming the implementation agency for the Scheme.
• The SPVs under the Scheme will be registered under the Companies Act 2013.

Location of DTISs

The Scheme aims at setting up Greenfield Defence Testing Infrastructure mainly in DICs but is not limited to setting up Test Facilities in the DICs only.

Defence Testing Infrastructure Scheme

• The projects under the scheme will be provided with up to 75% government funding in the form of a ‘Grant-in-Aid’.

• Defence Testing Infrastructure Scheme (DTIS) is launched with an outlay of? 400 crore for creating state-of-the-art testing infrastructure for the domestic defence and aerospace manufacturing sector.
• The Scheme would run for the duration of five years and envisages setting up six to eight new test facilities in partnership with private industry.
• This will facilitate indigenous defence production, consequently, reducing imports of military equipment and helping make the country self-reliant.
• The projects under the scheme will be provided with up to 75% government funding in the form of ‘Grant-in-Aid’; the remaining 25% of the cost will be borne by the Special Purpose Vehicles (SPV), whose constituents will be Indian private entities and State Governments.
• The SPVs under the scheme will be registered under the Companies Act, 2013 and shall also operate and maintain all assets under the scheme in a self-sustainable manner by collecting user charges.
• The equipment and systems tested will be certified as per appropriate accreditation.
• While a majority of test facilities are expected to come up in the two Defence Industrial Corridors (DICs), the scheme is not limited to setting up such facilities in the DICs only.