61 percent defence contracts in 2014-15 went to Indian vendors: Govt

 New Delhi: Over 61 per cent of the Rs 65,591 crore defence contracts in 2014-15 went to Indian vendors while the rest were bagged by foreign players, the government said in Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.

"The expenditure on capital acquisition in respect of order placed on Indian vendors and foreign vendors for the period 2014-15 was Rs 40,589.98 crore (61.89 per cent) and Rs 24,992.36 crore (38.11 per cent), respectively," Rao Inderjit Singh, Minister of State for Defence, said in written response to a question in Rajya Sabha.

During 2014-15 and the current year, contracts have been signed with foreign vendors for capital procurement of defence equipment such as missiles, simulators, helicopters, rockets and guns, the minister added.

Information related to employment of Indians in such projects is not maintained by the department, he said.

The minister said capital procurement of defence equipment is guided by Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) and the timelines given therein. The timelines are specifically prescribed in each contract.