Defence Acquisition Council has cleared procurement of 72 thousand 400 assault rifles and 93 thousand 895 carbines on a fast-track basis to meet the immediate requirement of the troops deployed along the borders. <br/><br/>The procurement involves the expenditure of three thousand 547 crore rupees. The council chaired by Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also simplified Make-2 procedure for development and manufacturing of defence equipment through the domestic industry. <br/><br/>The revised procedure will now allow Ministry of Defence to accept suo-moto proposals from the industry and also allow start-ups to develop equipment for armed forces. According to Defence Ministry, the minimum qualification criteria to participate in Make -2 project has also been relaxed by removing conditions related to credit rating and reducing financial net worth criteria.<br/><br/>