DAC approves India-Russia AK-203 deal!

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• Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) which met under the Chairmanship of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh (MoD), cleared the long-pending ₹5,100 crore deal between Russia and India to manufacture 6 lakh AK203 assault rifles at a new factory in Amethi, Uttar Pradesh.
• A final decision in this regard will be taken by the Defence Acquisition Council ahead of Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to India.
• The two countries had signed an Inter-­Governmental Agreement (IGA) in February 2019 following a joint venture, Indo­-Russian Rifles Private Ltd. (IRRPL), was set up in Uttar Pradesh. The JV is between Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) from the Indian side and Rosoboron Export and Kalashnikov on the Russian side.
• The AK203 Kalashnikov assault rifle will replace the indigenous INSAS rifles as the primary assault weapon for the Indian Military.