New Delhi, October 7: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has approved a revised Standard Operating Procedure for the use of Ministry of Defence proof ranges, field firing ranges and test facilities by India’s defence industry.
Under the revised SOP, proof and testing charges will be waived for projects under iDEX, the Technology Development Fund, Make programmes and other developmental projects of the Ministry of Defence. The ministry said the waiver is aimed at promoting Atmanirbharta in defence.
The revised procedure also lists the proof ranges, field firing ranges and laboratory test facilities available with the Defence Research and Development Organisation, Government Quality Assurance agencies and the three Services for use by the Indian defence industry.
Where charges remain applicable, the SOP lays down the procedure for calculating and paying proof and testing fees, along with the required documentation and formats.
The ministry has also replaced the arbitration provision in the existing SOP with a Conciliation Agreement Clause. According to the Ministry of Defence, the revised mechanism is intended to be simpler, more industry-friendly and better suited to facilitating faster resolution of issues.
A three-day slot in every quarter will also be reserved at proof ranges for the proof firing of government-sponsored developmental projects, including iDEX, TDF, Make and other Ministry of Defence projects.
The reserved slots will also be available for developmental projects taken up by the indigenous defence industry on its own initiative.
According to the ministry, the revised framework is intended to simplify access to proof ranges, field firing ranges and test facilities while supporting indigenous defence development, innovation and self-reliance.
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