RAS question
On DRDO's 68th Foundation Day (January 2026), the Defence Acquisition Council approved AoN proposals worth how much?
Correct answer: (D) ₹1.30 lakh crore.
On DRDO's 68th Foundation Day in January 2026, the Defence Acquisition Council and the Services Procurement Board accorded Acceptance of Necessity for 22 DRDO-system proposals worth approximately Rs 1.30 lakh crore.
Explanation
The figure to remember is Rs 1.30 lakh crore. The PIB release on DRDO's 68th Foundation Day says that 22 Acceptance of Necessity proposals were accorded by the Defence Acquisition Council and the Services Procurement Board for induction of DRDO-developed systems, to be manufactured by Indian industries. DRDO Chairman Dr Samir V Kamat described this as the highest such total in any single year in history. The same release separately mentions 11 acquisition contracts worth Rs 26,000 crore signed with DRDO production partners, so that number should not be confused with the AoN value asked in the question. Together, the AoNs and contracts are presented as part of India's defence self-reliance push.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Rs 80,000 crore is below the PIB-stated AoN value and is not the figure linked to the 22 DRDO-system AoN proposals.
- (B) Rs 95,000 crore does not match the official release, which places the AoN proposals at approximately Rs 1.30 lakh crore.
- (C) Rs 1.10 lakh crore is close enough to be tempting, but the cited PIB release gives the approved AoN value as approximately Rs 1.30 lakh crore.
Concept
This tests current defence acquisition terminology, especially Acceptance of Necessity under India's procurement process. RAS repeats such facts because DRDO milestones connect science and technology with defence manufacturing and Aatmanirbhar Bharat.