Performance of ITBP 'adversely affected' as ordnance factories delayed arms supply

The performance of the ITBP guarding the sensitive Indo-China border has been “adversely affected” as ordnance factories did not supply necessary arms and ammunition to the force for six years even after taking advance payments, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) said in a report on Friday.In its latest report tabled in Parliament on Friday, the CAG said advance funds of Rs 15.58 crore of Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) were blocked from financial year 2007 to 2012-13 due to non-supply of arms and ammunition. The supplies should have been made within nine months of taking advance, the report said. 

The auditor has recommended that the Union Home Ministry should look into the issue of advance payment to the ordnance factories and take effective steps to remove the “inefficiencies in the system”, by making the factories “more accountable and ensuring timely supply of urgently needed arms and ammunitions” to ITBP.

“The Ministry of Home Affairs...Had no practice of quoting time schedule for supply of arms and ammunition at the time of issue of sanction order and making advance payments against sanctioned amounts to ordnance factories,” it said. The report said as per the proforma invoice of the ordnance factories, the supplies were to be made within period ranging between one and nine months from the date of receipt of advance payment.