India approves capital acquisition of military hardware worth Rs 54,000 crore

New Delhi: India on Thursday approved capital acquisition of a plethora of military hardware worth over Rs 54,000 crore that includes airborne early warning and control aircraft systems, torpedos and engines for T-90 tanks at a total cost of over Rs 54,000 crore.

In a significant move, the DAC also approved the guidelines for reducing the timelines at various stages of the capital acquisition process to make it "faster, more effective and efficient", according to the defence ministry.

The decision on a "more effective" procurement process was in line with the defence ministry's initiative to celebrate 2025 as "Year of Reforms'.

The approval to the procurement proposals was accorded by the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, the ministry said.

The DAC accorded Acceptance of Necessity (AoNs) or initial approval to eight capital acquisition proposals amounting to over Rs 54,000 crore, it said.