Balakot aftermath: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to take stock of emergency weapons, ammo of three services
New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will take stock of weapons systems and ammunition of the three services. According to an agency report, Singh will head a meeting this week and oversee presentations by the three service chiefs — the Army, Navy and the Indian Air Force (IAF) — on the weapon systems acquired by them under emergency provisions and the financial powers for purchasing critical equipment.
According to a report by news agency PTI, Singh’s move comes after the government extended special financial powers to the Vice Chiefs of Staff of the three services for acquiring critical weapons systems and ammunition in emergency situations in case of a war-like scenario, in the aftermath of the Balakot strike. The powers enabled services to acquire such systems worth up to Rs 300 crore within three months of signing the contract.
Under these provisions, the Army opted to buy Spike Anti-tank Guided Missile (ATGM) system costing Rs 250 crore and Igla-S man-portable defence system. The IAF too signed a contract worth Rs 275 crore to buy Spike Air to Ground stand-off weapon system from Israel. The IAF is of the view that the system will be critical in a Balakot-like operation.
In his meetings with the service chiefs, Singh has vehemently stressed that the government will fully stand with the forces in their modernisation efforts.
In response to a question in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, Minister of State for Defence Shripad Naik said, “Government attaches high priority to ensuring that the Armed Forces are adequately equipped and operationally prepared to deal the entire spectrum of security challenges facing the country. In this context, there is a constant endeavour to modernize the Armed Forces through the acquisition of contemporary systems, development of new technologies and upgrading of conventional equipment.”
