India, Dec. 31 -- The defence ministry on Tuesday signed two contracts worth Rs.4,666 crore to equip the army and navy with close-quarter battle carbines, and the navy with heavyweight torpedoes to sharpen the combat readiness of the two services.

The contract for more than 4.25 lakh carbines worth Rs.2,770 crore was signed with Bharat Forge Ltd and PLR Systems Pvt Ltd, the defence ministry said. These carbines will replace the existing decades-old sub machine guns based on a 1940s design,.

This marks the culmination of an extraordinary, persistent effort to equip Indian soldiers with a world-class lethal carbine, replacing legacy systems with cutting-edge indigenous technology under the 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' (self-reliant India) vision,...