In view of the financial implications arising due to COVID-19 and the lockdown, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday asked the three Services to use resources prudently and avoid wastage while maintaining operational readiness. He also asked the commanders to identify and prioritise tasks and assist in the revival of the economy after the lockdown is lifted.
The Minister’s directive to the Services chiefs came in the backdrop of the impact of the lockdown on the economy on the whole and likely setback for some months in procurement of weapons systems. The armed forces were asked a few days back to avoid inking new deals in the first quarter of the current fiscal due to economic factors.
Moreover, with the possibility of budgetary constraints or cuts in the near future, the three Services were also asked to put on hold their acquisition processes to buy new weapon systems. The Department of Military Affairs in a letter also asked the forces to put on hold their capital acquisition processes till the time the COVID-19 situation continues in the country, sources said.
Faced with global slowdown, the delivery schedule of 36 Rafale fighter jets is likely to get delayed by some weeks now. The first four jets were scheduled to come to India from France next month. The deal is worth over Rs 59,000 crores.
Similarly, the S-400 missile shield system deal worth over Rs 45,000 crore with Russia may get delayed too though the Russians have assured of timely delivery schedule.
Some other procurement time lines pertaining to tanks, artillery guns and assault rifles from different countries may also get affected besides the Navy’s recent deal with the US for 24 multi-role helicopters.
Given this backdrop, the defence minister in a video-conference here with the commanders of the three Services directed them to initiate measures to spend the financial resources, avoiding wastage in view of the economic burden imposed by COVID-19.
In his address, Singh said he expected the forces to ensure their operational preparedness, “while they are battling COVID-19 and the adversary should not be allowed to exploit the current situation,” defence ministry officials said later.
“Stressing on the requirement of jointness of the armed forces, the Defence Minister asked the Commanders in Chief to identify and prioritise tasks that could be accomplished quickly and assist in revival of the economy after the lockdown is lifted,” the Ministry stated.
The Service Commanders appreciated the recent devolution of emergency financial powers by the Ministry that has ensured timely procurement of necessary medical supplies, to bolster the health infrastructure of the hospitals.
The conference was attended by the three Service Chiefs including General M M Naravane, Admiral Karambir Singh, Air Chief Marshal R K S Bhadauria, Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat(CDS),Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar and Secretary (Defence Finance) Gargi Kaul besides other senior officials of the ministry.