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| Defence Production Secretary of India | |
|---|---|
| Post | Defence Production Secretary of India |
| Department | Ministry of Defence (India) |
| Reports to | Defence Secretary of India |
| Seat | New Delhi |
| Appointer | President of India |
Defence Production Secretary of India
The Defence Production Secretary of India is a senior Indian Administrative Service officer who heads the Department of Defence Production within the Ministry of Defence (India), overseeing indigenous defence industry development, public sector undertakings such as Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, Bharat Electronics Limited, and Indian Ordnance Factories, and interfacing with procurement entities like the Defence Research and Development Organisation and Armed Forces services. The post coordinates policies that link Make in India (initiative), Strategic Partnership Policy (India), and export promotion through bodies like Directorate General of Export Controls (India) while engaging with international partners including Rosoboronexport, Lockheed Martin, and Dassault Aviation.
The Secretary formulates and implements production policies affecting Hindustan Shipyard Limited, Bharat Dynamics Limited, and Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders; allocates capital to Public Sector Undertaking (India)s; manages technologies transferred under agreements such as the Inter-Governmental Agreement and oversees offsets linked to contracts like the Rafale deal. The office liaises with research institutions including Indian Institute of Science, Defence Research and Development Organisation, and Indian Ordnance Factories Board predecessors to prioritize projects: aircraft such as the HAL Tejas, naval platforms like INS Vikrant (2013), and missile systems like Akash (missile). It also supervises export facilitation to markets such as ASEAN, Africa, and Latin America and coordinates compliance with regimes like the Missile Technology Control Regime and Wassenaar Arrangement through the Ministry of External Affairs.
The Secretary is typically an officer of the Indian Administrative Service or equivalent central cadre appointed by the President of India on the recommendation of the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (India), guided by practices seen in appointments to posts like the Cabinet Secretary of India and Home Secretary of India. Term length varies with precedent from occupants of comparable posts such as the Defence Secretary of India and Finance Secretary of India and may be shaped by transfers within the Central Secretariat Service or superannuation rules under the All India Services Act, 1951 and government orders used in appointments to heads of Public Sector Undertaking (India)s.
The Department under the Secretary comprises wings that interact with entities including Ordnance Factory Board successors, Defence Research and Development Organisation, and the Director General Defence Estates in areas such as production planning, quality assurance, and industrial licensing administered alongside the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (India). Functional links extend to the Defence Procurement Policy machinery, the Raksha Mantri's office, and inter-ministerial committees involving Ministry of External Affairs (India) and Ministry of Finance (India) for financing arrangements with institutions like the Export-Import Bank of India. The Secretary's office processes procurement-related dossiers on platforms including Arjun (tank), INS Vikramaditya, and Su-30MKI upgrades, coordinating with laboratories such as DRDO ADE and manufacturing clusters like the Bengaluru Aerospace Cluster.
Initiatives led or overseen have included implementation of the Make in India (initiative) in defence, operationalizing the Strategic Partnership model (India), promoting exports under the Defence Export Strategy (India), and corporatization efforts resembling reforms applied to the Ordnance Factory Board into distinct corporate entities. Other programs link to indigenous propulsion and avionics projects for platforms such as HAL Dhruv and the Kaveri engine development pathway, technology absorption from partners like Thales Group and Saab AB, and capital modernization drives tied to acquisition projects such as Project 75 (India) and Project 17A. The Department has pushed for clustering initiatives modeled on Centre of Excellence approaches and partnerships with institutions like Indian Institutes of Technology to boost defence exports.
Notable senior civil servants who have held the position come from Indian Administrative Service cadres and include individuals appointed through the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (India). Officeholders have often rotated among posts including Defence Secretary of India, Defence Production Secretary, and roles in Ministry of Commerce and Industry (India), with careers intersecting institutions like DRDO and public sector boards such as Bharat Electronics Limited. (A chronological list of specific names is maintained in official records of the Ministry of Defence (India) and public notifications issued by the Press Information Bureau (India)).
The Secretary coordinates procurement and production priorities with the Raksha Mantri's office, consults service headquarters including Integrated Headquarters of Ministry of Defence (Navy), Integrated Headquarters of Ministry of Defence (Army), and Integrated Headquarters of Ministry of Defence (Air Force), and works with procurement agencies such as the Defence Procurement Board and the Acquisition Wing (India). Collaborative programs span platforms like the Arjun (tank), INS Vikrant (2013), and avionics suites for the Su-30MKI, requiring interface with services' staff branches, tactical commanders, and trials overseen by establishments like Naval HQ and Air HQ testing units.
Controversies tied to the office have involved disputes over offsets in deals such as the Rafale deal, scrutiny of procurement timelines for projects like Project 75 (India) and Project 17A, debates over corporatization of the Ordnance Factory Board, and concerns about technology transfer arrangements with companies like Rosoboronexport and Dassault Aviation. Critics from think tanks such as Observer Research Foundation and policy analysts at Centre for Policy Research have raised issues about transparency, export licensing, and industrial competitiveness compared with peers in countries hosting firms like Lockheed Martin and BAE Systems; parliamentary committees including the Standing Committee on Defence have examined related matters.
Category:Ministry of Defence (India) Category:Indian government officials