It is often said that the Indian Armed Forces are a force to be reckoned with, not because but in spite of our government's unfortunate red tapism that has been around since the first Congress governemtn. Poor equipment, a paucity of resources, slow procurement, out of date equipment and weaponry; our soldiers need to contend with all this and more and still do the stellar job that they do protecting all of us.
With the ongoing ceasefire violations at the border, our soldiers are in urgent need of shoring up defence arsenal. Right now the induction of the M-777 ultra-light howitzers is an urgent requirement but the contract is still not signed because the finance ministry is yet to give its clearance.
The blacklisting of armament majors and scandals has been a recurring theme in arms procurement; with the result that not a single 155 mm artillery gun has been inducted into the Indian army since the 1980s.
Currently as many as 120 small and big projects are being delayed because of cumbersome and longwinded procurement protocols.
The Ordnance Factory Board is responsible for providing boots and uniforms to our soldiers. However these are at times so poor in quality; that armed forces personnel have to buy their own. The boots tear, the soles fall off, the uniform colors differ and are prone to ripping and fading.
There is an acute shortfall of officers in the army; currently there is an 18% shortfall. More lucrative career options difficult service conditions, lack of adequate training facilities and tough selection criteria are some of the problems. The shortage of personnel results in obvious problems: units working below strength and reduced operational efficiency.
Approvals of more than Rs 2,00,000 crore in defence spending have been given in the past two years. Projects such as these are pending: seven Shivalik class frigates under Project 17-A worth Rs 45,021 crore, additional Integrated Air Command and Control System (IACCS) for the Indian Air Force worth Rs 7,910 crore, acquisition of Apache and Chinook choppers from Boeing and more. according to the private defece manufacturers in Indian, the government is unwilling to loosen the purse strings when it comes to defence procurements.
An expert panel has recommended the restructuring of the acquisition wing. The streamlining of the acquisition process to make it timely and responsive is important. However the way things stand right now, the inherent inertia of our system remains resistant to change.
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