Hyderabad, Oct 23 – India and Armenia held a joint working group meeting on defence cooperation. The session, which ran on Thursday, let the two countries review their defence ties, discuss plans for defence industry collaboration and tackle other security topics that interest both sides.
India sent a delegation led by Joint Secretary (IC) Vishwesh Negi. Armenia’s team was headed by Levon Ayvazyan, head of the Policy and International Military Cooperation Department at the Ministry of Defence. The Indian Defence Ministry posted about the talks on X (formerly Twitter).
Later that day, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh unveiled India’s new Defence Procurement Manual (DPM) 2025 at the South Block in New Delhi. The revised manual, which goes into effect on 1 November 2025, is expected to manage about ₹1 lakh‑crore of defence purchases across the Army, Navy, Air Force and other Ministry of Defence units.
In his remarks, the Defence Minister praised the Ministry’s and Integrated Defence Staff’s work on the manual. He said the new rules will simplify procurement, standardise processes and help the armed forces obtain the supplies they need for operational readiness. “The manual also opens up more opportunities for MSMEs and start‑ups in defence manufacturing,” he added, stressing fairness, transparency and accountability.
Key changes aim to speed up decision‑making and boost business climate. Liquidated damages for delayed delivery will now be capped at 10 % in cases of significant delay, and for indigenised projects the penalty drops to 0.1 % per week (down from the previous 0.5 %). The manual also guarantees orders for up to five years for items produced by public and private indigenisation partners.
The new DPM positions India to strengthen its own defence industry, support small and medium enterprises, and deepen cooperation with partners like Armenia as it seeks to modernise its armed forces.
Source: ianslive
Stay informed on all the latest news, real-time breaking news updates, and follow all the important headlines in world News on Latest NewsX. Follow us on social media Facebook, Twitter(X), Gettr and subscribe our Youtube Channel.
