Tweet
Slow defence spend irks Antony
Peeved over slow spending of defence budget, Defence Minister AK Antony on Wednesday asked the Services and civil bureaucracy to speed up the process by adopting focused approach to projects having direct link with operational preparedness of the armed forces.
Reviewing the capital and revenue expenditure of more than Rs1,93,407.29 crore budget for this fiscal including Rs80,000 crore for capital expenses here, the Minister asked the officials to pay special attention to procurement of weapon platforms and ammunition in the remaining five months of the fiscal ending March 2013.
Officials said the Minister’s directive to the top brass was to focus on key projects crucial for maintaining operational preparedness like up gradation of weapon systems and sustaining modernisation programme.
Antony will hold similar meetings later this month to review the progress of infrastructure development in Arunachal Pradesh as China has vastly superior infrastructure across the Line of Actual Control (LAC) thereby putting India in a disadvantageous position.
He will also take stock of the pace of construction of the first indigenous aircraft carrier at Cochin Shipyard and review the performance of defence public sector undertakings and ordnance factories, they informed.
The review on Wednesday comes in the backdrop of economic slowdown and financial constraints.
Peeved over slow spending of defence budget, Defence Minister AK Antony on Wednesday asked the Services and civil bureaucracy to speed up the process by adopting focused approach to projects having direct link with operational preparedness of the armed forces.
Reviewing the capital and revenue expenditure of more than Rs1,93,407.29 crore budget for this fiscal including Rs80,000 crore for capital expenses here, the Minister asked the officials to pay special attention to procurement of weapon platforms and ammunition in the remaining five months of the fiscal ending March 2013.
Officials said the Minister’s directive to the top brass was to focus on key projects crucial for maintaining operational preparedness like up gradation of weapon systems and sustaining modernisation programme.
Antony will hold similar meetings later this month to review the progress of infrastructure development in Arunachal Pradesh as China has vastly superior infrastructure across the Line of Actual Control (LAC) thereby putting India in a disadvantageous position.
He will also take stock of the pace of construction of the first indigenous aircraft carrier at Cochin Shipyard and review the performance of defence public sector undertakings and ordnance factories, they informed.
The review on Wednesday comes in the backdrop of economic slowdown and financial constraints.
