New Delhi: Indian soldiers are respected and adored for their valour and sense of duty by 125 crore people of this nation. They are country's shield and sword, which keep our interests safe, our enemies at bay and the people of our country secure and free. But these jawans are deprived of basic and quality defence equipments, including bullet proof jackets needed to counter enemies.
According to a report of Parliament's Standing Committee on Defence, accessed exclusively by the India TV, our jawans have often compensated the lack of quality equipment with their own personal valour.
The report stated that nearly 3.5 lakh jawans don't have access to bullet proof jackets, meaning they are guarding country's international borders without one of the basic kits which is a must to protect them from enemy's bullets.
What is ironical is that approximately two lakhs bullet proof jackets which were dispatched for jawans, according to the report, have not reached them.
It also stated that recommendation for purchasing 3,53,765 bullet proof jackets were made to the Ministry of Defence but the concerned department(s) didn't pay any heed to the requirement.
The report further said that, as of now, there is a lack of 1,86,138 bullet proof jackets and order for the same was placed in 2009 but till date not a single jacket has reached the jawans.
Former chief minister of Uttarakhand, BC Khanduri, is the Chairman of the Standing Committee on Defence. Khanduri, a retired Major General, has served the Indian Army for 36 long years.
The report also highlighted the supply of poor-quality of arms and ammunition supplied to the soldiers and thus questioned the decisions by the Directorate General of Quality Assurance (DGQA) functioning under Department of Defence Production, Ministry of Defence.
It has also stated that the designs of more than 20 ammunitions, presently being supplied to armed forces, have become problematic to the jawans.
There are 23 items which failed to meet the quality standards, the report said, adding that the jawans are facing difficulty in using these equipments.
Between 2009 to 2014, the Army had demanded 133 items required for the use of ammunitions but Ordinance Factory Board managed to supply only 23 entities from the demanded list.
Besides, the 125mm gun common to all T-72 tank, were of bad quality and several time they blasted inside the barrel, causing serious injuries to jawans.
DGQA is more than hundred years old organisation and provides quality assurance cover for the entire range of arms, ammunitions, equipments and stores supplied to armed forces.
Meanwhile, there are reports that Defence Minister, Manohar Parrikar, and other top officials of the Ministry will meet the members of the Standing Committee on Defence in the last week of January next year.
