NEW DELHI, June 3: Attributing the delay in bringing out the new Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) to the “mess” created by UPA, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar today said his effort is to simplify the process and remove “atmosphere of suspicion”.
Parrikar, who had earlier said that DPP, the framework for defence procurement, will be out by May, admitted that it will take some more time.
“I have put in a lot of effort. My officers have put in a lot of effort. CII, FICCI, ASSOCHAM have also given lots of inputs. I underestimated the previous Government. It has messed it to such an extent….I thought I would be able to prepare in 3-4 months. I accept my defeat. Some more time is required,” he said addressing a seminar organised here by the Vivekananda International Foundation.
Parrikar said he has decided to for the “jugular” and will “completely change” the concept of defence procurement.
“We have inherited a British system. Everyone in the Government distrusts everybody. There is an atmosphere of question marks and doubt. Of course, defence is the biggest place where even speaking out was considered as a taboo,” he said.
The minister said that the atmosphere is being changed slowly.
He said the first change he wants to bring in the procurement process is to treat vendors as partners. “That atmosphere of suspicion has to go at least for those vendors who have performed earlier,” he said.
Citing the example of ordinance factories and even defence PSUs, he said sometimes they “treat the supplier as dirt”.
He stressed that he was not criticising defence PSUs but merely emphasizing that the firms need to take along suppliers who are developing systems at their initiative.
Parrikar also spoke about the long-pending demand of “one rank one pension” of ex-servicemen and asked them to be patient.
“It is not stuck. I can only say that the issue is progressing very rapidly but some patience is required,” he said speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the seminar on ‘Design and Make In India-Electronics’.
Referring to the recent encounter in Tangdhar in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kupwara district in which four terrorists were killed, Parrikar said the Indian army was on alert for stopping infiltration.
Told by a journalist that his recent comment on using terrorists to kill terrorists has spooked Pakistan (‘unko mirchi lagi hai’), Parrikar replied, “I will not go into what Pakistan feels about that but mirchi, woh bhi Andhra ki, lagi hai.”
Asked if Japan would be part of the upcoming Malabar bilateral naval excercise with the US, he refrained from giving a direct reply and merely said it is between India and the US.
However, he quickly added that he is not giving any negative reply.
Talking about the scheduled meeting between him and the visiting US Defence Secretary later in the evening, Parrikar said, “There are very positive things happening.”
“As far as DTTI is concerned, many things are coming closer. I think two or three issues may be sorted out, not necessarily today but in couple of weeks. They are very close to finalisation,” he said.
During the visit of US President Barack Obama here in January, both countries had indetified four “pathfinder projects” as well as decided to explore development of aircraft carrier technologies and jet engines.
The pathfinder products are the Raven mini unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), “roll-on, roll-off” mission modules for C-130J Super Hercules aircraft, mobile electric hybrid power sources, and chemical-biological warfare protection suite for soldiers. (PTI)
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