A Parliamentary panel has pulled up the Defence Ministry (MoD) for not meeting a shortfall of 45,000 bullet proof jackets for soldiers engaged in counter-insurgency operations and said the Government should “come out of slumber” to procure the jackets in the fast-track mode. The Government was also asked to respond in two months on the action taken to buy these jackets.
In its report tabled in both the Houses of Parliament on Thursday, the Standing Committee on Defence said even though the Army needs 3,53,765 jackets, the Ministry approved procurement of only 1,86,138 jackets and the Army now has 1,22,624 pieces.
Expressing dismay over a shortfall of 45,003 jackets, the panel also said it was “shocked” to learn that the shelf life of existing jackets was going to expire in the next year and the Ministry was yet to finalise a vendor to procure them.
Maintaining it is the duty of the Government to provide proper gear to their soldiers before sending them to counter-insurgency or war-like situations, the Committee said that “it is not all satisfied” with the Ministry’s response to the issue.
The panel also said it is “perturbed” that despite knowing the importance of such a crucial life-saving item and the Standing Committee pointing its importance on earlier occasions too, it has taken more than six years to arrive at the trial stage after the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) and approval of Director General (Acquisition) on January 27, 2014, it took the Ministry more than a year to trial evaluate the bullet-proof jackets.
As regards clothing to enable the soldiers to withstand extreme cold, the Committee said the Defence Ministry’s attitude was “vague and casual.” The panel said the Ministry did not supply specific information to the Committee on steps taken to meet the huge shortfall of 2,17, 388 pairs of high-ankle boots and 4,47,000 balclava caps. Shortage of night vision devices also came under the Committee’s scrutiny and it said even after the directions of the Empowered Committee in 2013, night vision devices were not procured.