Amid an ongoing standoff in Doklam with China, Defence Minister Arun Jaitley told the Lok Sabha on Friday that the Indian armed forces were fully equipped to face any contingency.
Referring to observations by the Comptroller and Auditor General about shortage of ammunition supplies, he said it was for a particular period and that any shortage would be expeditiously made up. The CAG had criticised the Ordnance Factory Board for critical deficiency in availability of ammunition to the Army. “The armed forces are fully equipped to face any contingency and any shortage of ammunition would be expeditiously made up,” Mr. Jaitley said during Question Hour.
Regarding CAG reports, Mr. Jaitley said that as per procedure, after tabling in Parliament, they go to the Public Accounts Committee and if the latter makes some recommendations, then action would be taken.
On ammunition quantity
“If any action is to be taken, it will be taken,” Mr. Jaitley said, in response to queries on whether any action would be taken against officials following observations in the CAG report.
When a member wanted to know about the amount of ammunition required and other details, Mr. Jaitley said it was better in public interest not to make any such disclosure.
On strategic partnerships in the defence sector, he said it was intended to institutionalise a “transparent, objective and functional mechanism” to encourage broader participation of the private sector in the manufacture of defence equipment.
Besides, the government had approved a proposal for manufacturing of ammunition for the Army by the Indian industry, he said. “Since the proposal is at RFP stage, grant of permission to any private company for manufacturing ammunition in partnership with foreign vendors/companies which have been blacklisted/banned for wrong doings/corrupt practices, does not arise,” he added.
