Defence Minister Rajnath Singh unveiled the Delegation of Financial Powers (DFP-2026) to the Defence Research And Development Organisation at an event, according to reports on Monday. The DFP-2026 is intended to boost the accountability, efficiency, and on-time deployment of key research and development (R&D) endeavours.
It notably widens the functional and financial agency of the R&D sector of the Defence Department at various levels. This includes specialised arrangements for trial campaigns, testing and evaluation as well as approving the sanctioning of pre-project R&D programmes
The amended structure further allows for the specific allocation of grants-in-aid for financial powers for Extra-Mural Research Projects, Defence Innovation Accelerator-Centres of Excellence, and Technology Development Fund initiatives under their respective schedules.
The Delegation of Financial Powers to Defence Services' (DFPDS-2026) goal is to improve operational efficiency by facilitating faster decision-making with regards to defence acquisitions.
The new framework aims to accelerate the development, production and induction of systems, platforms and technologies emerging from the research and development ecosystem into the Armed Forces.
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Singh stated that the reform would help improve the cooperation between industry and academia and put forward the vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat, while improving self-reliance in defence technologies and readiness.
Senior officials who attended the event in New Delhi include the Chief of Defence Staff General NS Raja Subramani, Defence Secretary and DRDO Chairman Rajesh Kumar Singh, and others such as secretaries from defence production and former servicemen.
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