Arms purchase up, yet Army faces barrel crunch

AT the time when the Indian Army is modernising its offensive capabilities, specifically in the Artillery and the Armoured Regiments, a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) audit exercise has reported "shortfall of barrels and breech mechanisms ranging from 30-100 per cent of the production capacity" during 2015-22. A delay in the supply of ammunition has also been noticed.

- MAYANK SINGH @New Delhi

The CAG audit also found that augmentation of production capacity of large calibre weapons in ordnance factories "could not be completed (January 2023)", even though an expenditure of ₹292.32 crore (₹253.13 crore P&M + ₹39.19 crore civil works) was incurred.

The CAG has advised the Ministry of Defence and Defence public sector undertakings to "work out a revised time frame and put in place a strengthened monitoring mechanism to achieve project deliverables."