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The Ministry of Defence and Lok Sabha’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) appears to be at loggerhead over issues of winter clothing, equipment and ration for soldiers deployed at high altitudes.
Not impressed by the MoD’s repeated stand that there is no dearth of funds, the parliamentary watchdog panel reemphasized the need to have separate budgets for such requirements to avoid long delays and supply of recycled material which affect lives of soldiers deployed at such extreme inhospitable conditions.
Flags discrepancies
The PAC has also flagged other serious discrepancies in quality standards and supply of expired items in its report tabled in Lok Sabha on Monday. The panel reprimanded the Directorate General of Quality Assurance (DGQA) for giving nod to technical specifications for some times and products needed in high quality overlooking the fact that it was not accepted by the troops. “..The Committee had desired that the Directorate General of Quality Assurance be brought under the Services to make it more responsive and accountable,” the parliamentary watchdog panel insisted.
The PAC — headed by Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, the Congress leader of Opposition in the LS — made scathing remarks in its report on “Provisioning, Procurement and Issue of High Altitude, Clothing, Equipment, Ration and Housing”. It’s based on the Action Taken by the Government on the observations and recommendations of the PAC contained in their 55th report presented to the Lok Sabha earlier.
The 22-member panel has desired the Ministry of Defence (MoD), Department of Military Affairs (DMA), to furnish action taken notes on observations and recommendations contained in the report tabled on Monday within six months.
The expenditure on High Altitude Clothing and Equipment (HACE) is met from allotment under the head of ‘General Stores and Clothing’ which also caters to the requirements of the Army as a whole. Operational Works has a separate budget head and is allotted on an average ₹800 crore out of which ₹400 crore is spent for troop formations deployed along the northern borders with China.
Troops affected
According to the PAC, the health and hygiene of troops stationed at high altitude areas was reportedly affected as a result of procedural delays, non-supply or supply of recycled or alternate items at the time of need; lack of research and development by defence laboratories and failure in indigenisation resulted in prolonged and continued dependence on import.
Not only that, “substitutes in lieu of scaled items were authorized in a given percentage on a cost-to-cost basis which affected the quantity of calorie intake of troops in high altitude areas; the project for improving housing conditions of the troops in high altitude areas was executed in an ad-hoc manner; despite incurring an expenditure of ₹274 crore”. As a result, the pilot project was unsuccessful.
Despite the Committee’s earlier recommendation in its previous recorded findings, Ministry reiterated its reply that bifurcation of existing heads for funds are need based and not terrain or region based, the panel stated in its latest report. The MoD also told the parliamentarians that there has not been a single instance wherein limitation of budget has affected the procurement and availability of special clothing and equipment with the troops deployed in high altitude areas.
Countering the ministry on both the counts, the panel noted that it wish to point out that “various instances of procedural delays, non-supply or supply of recycled or alternate items at the time of need were highlighted during Audit”.
Budgetary constraints
The Committee equally pointed out contradictions in its replies to the previous and latest reports on the issue “ Audit Ministry’s statement that provisioning and procurement of high altitude clothing and equipment are not constrained by budgetary allocations is not consistent with their earlier reply (March 2019) regarding shortage in AHQ (Army HQ) reserve of ECC & E (Extreme Cold Clothing & Equipment) wherein they had stated categorically that budgetary constraints led to cuts in the quantity being procured,” the watchdog panel remarked.
The Chowdhury-led panel justified its recommendation by stating that having separate budget heads/sub heads will not only help the Ministry in maintaining funds commensurate with the requirements in respect of clothing, equipment, housing facility and ration in high altitude areas but also enable the senior officers in monitoring the expenditure incurred against the funds allocated, making proper estimations and timely revisions.
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