Time to shop

MoD streamlines defence purchases. Services need to take advantage of that

That a national conversation has begun on the subject

of Indias defence preparedness is something that is extremely welcome. This newspaper has previously pointed out that policy-making circles and Indians more generally seemed to be feeling insufficient alarm that,over the past five years,Indias military preparedness,including its edge over Pakistan,has been eroded. This concern has thankfully now spread somewhat; and it appears that attempts at least are now being made at generating a new sense of urgency in the

defence ministry.

It is in this context that South Blocks decision to experiment with fast-track acquisition procedures should be viewed,and it is this context that makes such experimentation particularly needed. Several issues have kept our forces under-prepared and sometimes not even spending their budgetary allocation,which thus keeps shrinking as a proportion of national income. Red tape is one; and concern about the minute attention that is paid to defence procurement is another. Not only do these inhibit the decision-making process for items not considered essential,they delay it unconscionably for items that are so considered. The latter question will be particularly addressed by the new measures; clearances will be faster,with intermediate scrutiny within the ministry skipped,and contracts will have to be signed

between 112 and 154 days of the clearance being issued.

Much upgrade is in the pipeline,the specifics of what the defence forces need is fortunately now a part of public discourse and is receiving much-needed attention.

India benefits from its newly pragmatic foreign policy in being able to source its purchases from many parts of the world; that should make the process of renewing the forces readiness easier than it has been in past decades. What is clear is that the ball is now in the services court. The army,navy and air force must seize this moment of concern to make sure that crucial investment is made. Transparency in todays world can almost be taken as a given; the

task is to ensure that internal timidity or fear of rapidly-reducing bureaucratic hurdles do not keep allocated funds unspent.