The Hindu Business Line : ‘Ministry should evolve system of meeting defence needs’

New Delhi, Nov. 24 The Ministry of Defence should evolve a system so that requirement for any defence equipment is assessed in a timely manner and expeditious action is taken to procure it under the normal procedure thereby dispensing with the need for a fast-track mechanism, the Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee has said.

In a report submitted in Parliament on Friday, the PAC has urged that if at all a decision had to be taken to procure things urgently and under a fast-track mechanism, “utmost urgency” should be shown by the authorities concerned in “planning and procurement”.

As an efficient fast-track procedure can play a vital role in emergent situations, the committee has expressed the hope that the Ministry would at least now initiate specific measures — a more “transparent, simple and faster” procedure of procurement of defence equipment.

The committee has also called on the Ministry of Defence to incorporate a liquidated damages clause in all future contracts in case of delayed delivery by the supplier and impose a penalty on the vendors by reducing the cost of the contract.