It is a major cause of worry for the security of India, especially in the light of the mutual aid being extended by the Chinese in the NW borders of India, to its dear friend Pakistan. Under the circumstances the government of India must not only keep a serious watch on the consequences but also consider views of defence forces and experts. I only hope India does not have to repent on such serious ongoing neglects of the Indian Defence forces. Oh God, Please save India.
By R S Chauhan
Defence
ministry officials say that many plans across the three armed forces will
witness a definite setback because of this austerity measure, reports R S
Chauhan.
The Indian military is back to its old days of scrounging for funds,
after the finance ministry under P Chidambaram has told South Block that it
will have to live with a cutback of nearly Rs 14,000 crore in the ongoing
financial year (2012-13).
At the start of the year, the
defence budget was pegged at Rs 193,000 crore. The bulk of it -- Rs 126,000
crore, called revenue expenditure -- was earmarked for salary, pension,
recurring expenditure, maintenance of arms and equipment. Only Rs 67,000 was
given for what capital acquisition, that is new purchases.
While the revenue budget is
likely to see a reduction by about Rs 6,000 crore, it is the capital budget
that will be cut back drastically by approximately Rs 8,000 crore. Defence
ministry officials concede that many plans across the three armed forces will
witness a definite setback because of this austerity measure.
The hardest hit will be the
Indian Navy, considered to be the service getting the most attention of late.
Its plans to purchase new conventional submarines this year to augment its fast
depleting fleet (down to single digit) is now put on hold. Similarly, its plan
to equip many new ships with the new generation Barack missiles is also pushed
back to later years.
The Indian Army, the largest of
the three services and the one that takes up the bulk of the defence ministry's
revenue budget, will continue to face a shortage of ammunition for its fleet of
tanks (a fact highlighted by the previous Army Chief Gen VK Singh in his letter
to Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh exactly a year ago. The letter found its
way into the public domain, setting off a furore). The Army's plan to acquire
anti-tank guided missiles, either from the United States or Russia, is now
delayed. With just 40 per cent of the tanks fitted with night vision devices,
the Indian Army's tank fleet will operate below par.
Although the defence ministry has
tried to put up a brave front and went out of its way to paint a very rosy
picture about the future of the Indian armed forces at the recently concluded
Aero India show in Bengaluru, the reality is the three services are currently
operating in what is called a "holding" mode -- no new acquisitions,
no new raising of additional forces and no accretion in its fire power.
Most foreign firms participating
in the Aero India show also tried to project a very optimistic picture of
India's defence sector by giving rosy projections through friendly media, but
most of them are aware that India's stated plans to spend over 100 billion
dollars in new weapons and platforms' purchases over the next five years, is no
longer on track.
One of the biggest casualties of
the budget cutback is likely to be the planned mountain strike corps, recently
cleared by the defence ministry but yet to be approved by the Cabinet Committee
on Security. Aimed at countering the potential Chinese challenge across the
Himalayas, the proposed MSC is estimated to cost Rs 65,000 crore, the kind of money India's finance ministry is unlikely to spare over the next
few years.
Over and above all this, the
Indian Air Force, which is looking at inducting 350-400 new aircraft by 2020,
is rightfully miffed at the funds crunch. Its mega deal of Rs 17-18 billion
dollars to purchase 126 Rafale combat jets from the French Dassault company is
now pushed to the next financial year and is likely to be staggered over the
next two years.
As an air force officer lamented:
"When the exchequer had the money, our decision-makers hesitated. Now
there is no money, so they are telling us to go slow. When will our planners
and leaders understand that defence preparedness is not an overnight affair?
They continue to pour in colossal amounts of money into non-productive social
schemes just to appease and woo a section of the electorate."
Most hold Defence Minister AK
Antony, now in the chair for over six years, for this state of affairs.
"His sole aim so far has been to avoid any taint of corruption on him
personally. So he has delayed, scrapped and hesitated in concluding contracts
meant to meet the Indian military's basic needs," one of the senior most
officers said in disgust.
The effects of Antony's
indecisiveness will be disastrous in the long run, many of the key officers
warn.
The frustration among the
military top brass is palpable. But then their voice is never heard in the
corridors of power.
And so the Indian military will
continue to suffer in silence.
by the kind courtesy of rediffmail.com
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