Why in News?

• Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh have acquired land for the Defence Industrial Corridors (DIC).

What are DIC’s?

• A defence corridor is a channel or route along which domestic defence equipment manufactured by the public sector, the private sector, and MSMEs is aligned to improve the operational capability of the defence forces.
• The DICs are aimed at providing fillip to the defence manufacturing ecosystem.
• These defence corridors will aid in the development of a well-planned and efficient industrial base, resulting in greater defence production in the country.

The need for DIC’s

• India is the world’s second largest arms importer, accounting for 9.5% of the total global arms imports during 2016-2020, according to data issued by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
• The corridors run parallel to existing defence public-sector firms, with the goal of ensuring communication between different defence industrial units.
• The defence industry is not only one of the 25 sectors identified under the Make in India programme, but it is also one of the 10 ‘Champion Sectors’ that have been identified for special attention due to their “potential to become global champions, drive double-digit manufacturing growth, and generate significant employment opportunities.”
  • Dhirendra Singh committee report (2015) stated that “India currently lacks a structured framework and a robust system to prepare its human resources to address all issues related to building and maintaining defence systems.”

 Reference:

1. https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tn-up-have-acquired-land-for-defence-industrial-corridors-parliament-told/article35541404.ece