In certain cases troops consumed dry rations 6-28 months after expiry
Pointing out that the Army marches on its stomach, the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament has taken exception to its ration supply chain practices and cited several “glaring deficiencies and inadequacies.”
Observing that in certain cases dry rations were consumed by troops even 6-28 months after the expiry of their normal Estimated Storage Life (ESL), the PAC in its report, tabled last week, recommended that the authorities revisit/amend the existing provision of the Army Service Corps technical instructions to ensure that food items were issued in accordance with their ESL.
As for fresh vegetables and fruits, 74 per cent of these items issued to the units by the supply depots were not in accordance with the prescribed norms.
Citing “serious anomalies in receipt and supply of vegetables in one station alone,” the PAC said the Northern Command rations worth Rs. 1.92 crore remained untraceable as on March, 31, 2008. A test check reflected “deep-rooted and widespread malpractices in the supply chain management of the Army.”
Observing “shortcomings” in the procurement procedures of the Army Service Corps, it noted highly non-competitive procurement of fresh rations and deviation from the laid down guidelines.
Deploring the mismatch between the issue and receipt of rations, the PAC said it was inconceivable that such things could happen “without the complicity of officers” concerned.
In another report on the Canteen Stores Department (CSD), the PAC took a serious view of the Army Headquarters denying auditors access to the accounts of the Unit Run Canteens (URCs), which recorded an annual turnover of Rs.8,500 crore during 2008-09.
Noting that the Comptroller and Auditor-General was unable to audit the 3,600 URCs, the report said this restricted parliamentary oversight to the CSD.
The CAG has been seeking to audit the URCs' accounts on the ground that the CSD transfers money from the Consolidated Fund of India in the form of qualitative discounts. But the armed forces are opposed to the move, claiming that the URCs are run with a non-public fund.
“The Committee is dismayed to note that Audit was denied access to records of the URCs by the Army Headquarters in spite of repeated requests…What is more intriguing is the fact that such denial was made despite the directions of the Defence Ministry to make records of the URCs available for audit.”
Keywords: Army canteen, Army stores, Unit Run Canteens, PAC
Armed Force must be under strong lokpal
The society must know about what is going on in the defence forces. All branches, irrespective of who may under go checks/refit or who must be checked/corrected the whole things; are corrept. Some how this figure may be 90%. There is a need to redefine the audit system in the Armed Forces, there is a need of procedural changes of accouting. May be sincere people in the Armed forces (may 10% only) can not point out the culprits because of hastic discipline criterias of armed forces. The RTI must be strengthen in the forces and higher authorities should have the will to curb the attrocities
Defences forces are No 1 in corruption,,but away from media....nothing can done...higher HQ are involved in this....
It is common knowledge that URCs collude with local authorities in each state to divert supplies meant for the army to serve their own local government employees and middleman who in turn sell them in the open market.Also, supplies from the URCs are used during defense contract exhibitions and officer parties given regularly at all major shows and events organized by them. This is hardly the proper use of subsidy that is given to the armed forces who take it for granted that since the charge is to the consolidated fund of India their operations are above scrutiny of the CAG and PAC.
It is high time records are open to RTI activists so that clandestine diversion from those who are really meant to benefit are stopped altogether and the those (ir)responsible brought to book.
All the activities of the tri-forces or u can say defence forces are incorporated with the high quality of corruption i.e. from ministry level to the commanding level including MES. There is a very urgent need of the remedial action. There must be a seperate defence lokpal.
The collective moral counter of our entire nation has gone beyond the negative. It takes an old man to wake us up from our slumber to raise a slogan against corruption. But, if our own moral sense as an individual in various capacities is less than zero, then how can we ensure that our elected representatives, and their ilk be not corrupt? We have to raise our own moral standards first. Only then can we, without any guilt or fear, can fight against the corrupt.
Basically the whole defence department is encircled with corruption.All activities are to be brought under RTI
Like public distribution all ration supplies should be done away with, instead we should think about issuing food stamps which can be exchanged at any shop
ASC - Army Supply Core (more commonly known as Aata Sugar Chor). This wing (mis)manages the supply of ration in the Army. It is a well known fact.
"...A test check reflected 'deep-rooted and widespread malpractices in the supply chain management of the Army."' This is an understatement. Pilferage of food/cash is rampant in the Army supply chain, hospital catering and Railway catering.Hospitals are known to have issued food for the dead, Railway catering feeds itself, first and soldiers are fed on scraps.
Spare a thought for the poor jawan who suffers the most as the right amount of nutritional input does not reach him in the remote areas.They are the ones who truly have to face the ignominy of these malpractices either by acts of ommission or commission.
The officers of supply corps of Army should be made accountble for the errors they are being committed
We are a rotten people, be it politics or army or anything else.. we need a moral rest!
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