Defence Minister Arun Jaitley with Russia’s Minister of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov in New Delhi. courtesy: Mod

Aditi Tandon

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 17

Defence Minister Arun Jaitley today said the Indian Army was fully prepared to meet any challenges and assured the Lok Sabha that defence budget will never be compromised.Intervening in the discussion on the outlays for the defence sector in LS today, Jaitley said 147 new contracts valued at Rs2,957.66 crore, for enhancing defence preparedness, had been concluded.”Rockets, radars, missiles will be supplied under these contracts. These include 155 mm ultralight Howitzer, Brahmos missile, ballistic helmets, Donear helicopters, Rafale fighter aircraft, Apache attack helicopters among other equipment,” Jaitley said after Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia accused the government of inadequate defence budgeting.Scindia rued that the defence budget had for the first time since 1962 fallen below 1.5 per cent of the GDP. The Congress and earlier the Trinamool Congress also expressed concerns over an aggressive China on India’s eastern border and an incorrigible Pakistan on the western sector.”There are concerns around preparedness of the Army in the event of a two-front war, especially with China and Pakistan working in tandem,” Scindia said, flagging inadequate war wastage reserve levels recently noted by CAG.Jaitley allayed opposition’s fears admonishing them against giving an impression that the Army lacked preparedness. “The Army is fully prepared,” he said, rejecting the Congress of inadequate self reliance in defence production despite the PM promising to reduce imports. He said 134 cases of procurement had been approved and of these 100 pertained to buy and make in India.

India, Russia sign pact to maintain Sukhoi-30

• India and Russia on Friday signed a key agreement for long-term maintenance support of the Sukhoi-30MKI fighter jets of the IAF, which has around 230 of the Sukhoi-30 jets of Russian origin that are now licence produced in India by HAL
• Russian companies United Aircraft Corporation and the United Engine Corporation will provide long-term supply of spares and technical assistance for five years