Antony hints at review of defence procurement policy
20 Feb 2013
Stung by the never-ending cases of corruption in defence procurement, defence minister A K Antony today said the government is planning to review the whole process of procuring defence equipment.
Speedy indigenisation of defence production is essential to eliminating corruption in the procurement process, he added.
Addressing the second international seminar on Army Air Defence, Antony said the armed forces, the government, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), industry - both public and private sector - should come together on a mission mode to achieve maximum indigenisation within a reasonable timeframe.
He assured industry all government support to achieve this objective.
Antony said the government would simultaneously amend defence procurement procedure and defence production policy so as to make it more interesting to the private sector.
Referring to the recent allegations of corruption in the AgustaWestland helicopter deal, Antony said it was regrettable that lessons have not been learned from past episodes. But, he said, ''The country can't afford to lose poor tax payers' money for greedy players in the field.''
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