Article Posted on : - Dec 18, 2024

A file photo.

NEW DELHI (PTI): A parliamentary panel has said it is cognisant that a "paradigm shift" in the strategy of warfare is taking place in the contemporary theatre of war, and recommended "urgent and coordinated efforts" be made by the defence ministry, defence PSUs and other stakeholders to achieve excellence in hybrid and modern war tactics.

The 'First Report (18th Lok Sabha) of the Standing Committee on Defence on Demands for Grants of the Ministry of Defence for the Year 2024-25 -- General Defence Budget, Border Roads Organisation, Indian Coast Guard, Defence Estates Organisation, Defence Public Sector Undertakings, Welfare of Ex-servicemen and Defence Pension' was tabled in Parliament on Tuesday.

The Committee, in its report, also said it is aware that the non-salary segment of Grant Number 20, inter alia, is for the emergency requirements of the forces.

"During discussion on DFG 2024-25, the Committee sought details regarding contingency fund for emergency requirements of the Services," it shared the response of the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Gen Anil Chauhan in this regard.

"Emergency procurements are done during an emergency like we had a problem with China in 2020. Then the honourable defence minister had sanctioned four emergency procurements. Three of these were open, meaning we could procure it from anywhere, but the last emergency procurement was one that we could take only from an Indian firm. That time it helped in addressing the gaps that were there," the CDS was quoted as saying in the report.

The year 2020 saw a military standoff between India and China in eastern Ladakh.

According to the report, when asked whether the Services have been equipped with state-of-the-art equipment to ensure optimum operational preparedness and reconnaissance purposes, the CDS, "during oral evidence", submitted the recent approval by the government for the third phase of the Space Based Surveillance project. Under this, about 52 satellites will be launched over the next five years, he said.

The Committee further sought details of the percentage of imported and obsolete equipment in the armed forces.

In response, the CDS submitted as under: "Sir, normally in the armed forces we have a philosophy of state-of-the-art equipment should be about 30 per cent, contemporary equipment would be about 40 per cent, and 30 per cent which is nearing obsolesce and which requires to be changed. This is the philosophy which we follow."

The Committee, in the report, said it is "cognisant that a paradigm shift in the strategy of warfare is taking place in contemporary theatre of war where non-conventional means such as non-kinetic warfare, cyber warfare, cognitive warfare are being increasingly employed".

The Committee has learnt that efforts are ongoing to increase our capabilities in this modern warfare and have every reason to believe that with the right combination of strategy, morale and infrastructure, our country will be at par with other advanced countries, it said.

"In this regard, the Committee recommend that urgent and coordinated efforts by all the stakeholders -- the Ministry of Defence, Services, Defence Research and Development Organisation, Defence Public Sector Undertakings -- may be made to achieve excellence in hybrid and modern war tactics," it added.

During oral evidence, the Committee also desired to know factual details about a recently reported event of the arrest of a Porbandar resident for allegedly sharing sensitive information about Indian Coast Guard vessels.

In response, the DG Coast Guard submitted, "It was a one-off event in which an employee of a contractor was there" and he was "taking pictures" of ships from the jetty, according to the report.

The Committee was apprised that Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is the only DPSU which has been conferred the status of Maharatna Central Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE) on October 12, 2024. The Committee desired to know whether HAL can invest in foreign companies/enterprises without the government of India's approval.

A representative of the ministry deposed that "there is no exact information on this", but after becoming a Maharatna, they get some autonomy in this field, the report added.

On being enquired about the current status of the new draft Cantonment Bill, the Ministry in a written reply has submitted, "In order to move away from the Cantonment concept, and in order to bring uniformity in municipal laws governing civil areas of Cantonments and adjoining state municipal areas, it has been decided to consider excision of civil areas of select cantonments and merge them with adjoining municipalities".

"Keeping in view that the outcome of this exercise may have a bearing on the relevance of Cantonments Boards as prescribed under Cantonments Act, 2006, the draft Cabinet Note on Cantonments Bill, 2022 has been withdrawn."