Article Posted on : - Jul 23, 2014

Rafale fighter aircraft. Photo: Dassault Aviation.

NEW DELHI (PTI): The proposal submitted by French firm Dassault Aviation in the multi-billion dollar combat aircarft deal for Transfer of Technology has been found to be fully compliant to the requirements specified in the tender, Rajya Sabha was informed on Tuesday.

"The Request for Proposal for procurement of MMRCA is included in a full section on ToT requirements. The offer of Dassault Aviation for ToT is compliant to the requirements specified in the RFP," Defence Minister Arun Jaitley said in a written reply to a query.

India is holding contract negotiations with the French firm, which was selected as the lowest bidder by the Government in 2012, for supplying 126 Rafale multirole combat aircraft to the IAF.

In reply to a query on VVIP choppers, the Minister said the Directorate of Enforcement has registered a case under provisions of Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2012 and under Foreign Exchange Management Act in the matter.

The contract for supplying 12 VVIP choppers to the IAF by Anglo-Italian firm AgustaWestland was scrapped by the Defence Ministry on January 1 on "grounds of breach of provisions of the Pre-Contract Integrity Pact and breach of terms of contract by the AWIL", Jaitley said.

Answering another query, the Defence Minister said the Government was planning to "amend the Works of Defence Act, 1903".

The act gives details about the use of land inside and outside the cantonments and defence installations.

The Minister said the draft bill has been sent to the various stakeholders under the Defence Ministry.