New Delhi: In a bid to boost the domestic defence sector, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said on Saturday 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.
Parrikar underlined the need for the country to focus more on export of defence products.
He was of the view that exports could "indirectly" help strengthen countries to ensure peace and stability in the region.
Speaking about the various issues and challenges faced by his ministry, he said, "Nothing happens overnight. A system which has virtually got rusted in a place. Today in defence ministry, things have rusted in place.
"I am coming out with some mechanism. Give me some more time. In the near future, we should be able to solve issues which are haunting through procedural mechanism. Some may still linger on. We can interact for further improvement. Nothing is perfect," he said.
