Defence Minister Rajnath Singh Sunday approved the Defence Procurement Manual (DPM) 2025 — the document governing defence revenue procurements including those for spares and ammunition — which adds a new chapter to promote self-reliance through innovation and indigenisation, among other changes.

Last promulgated in 2009, this manual was under revision in the Ministry in consultation with the Armed Forces and other stakeholders.

The revised DPM aims to further streamline, simplify, enable and rationalise the revenue procurement process. The Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) 2020 — which governs all capital procurements – is also being revised to streamline big-ticket defence acquisitions.

“The new manual is aimed at achieving self-reliance in fulfilling the needs of the Armed Forces under Revenue Head (Operations & Sustenance Segment),” the Defence Ministry said in a statement. It added that it will foster jointness among the three Services and help maintain the highest level of military preparedness through expeditious decision-making and ensure the timely availability of requisite resources to the Armed Forces at an appropriate cost.

The new DPM discusses promoting self-reliance through innovation and indigenisation to help in the indigenisation of defence items or spares through in-house designing and development in collaboration with public or private industries, academia, IITs, IISc and other private institutions of repute by utilising the talent of young bright minds.