Amid the ongoing border dispute with China, Centre has granted a big financial power to the defence forces enabling them to buy any weapon system under Rs 500 crore.
“The three services have been granted the financial powers by the Narendra Modi government to buy weapon systems under an emergency requirement procedure. Now they can buy any in inventory or new weapon up to Rs 500 for each project under these powers,” told government sources
Under the project, the defence forces, in consultation with the Department of Military Affairs, can go in for buying any weapon which they feel would be required for warfighting or are short of in their inventory,” the sources said.
The three forces have already started preparing a list of weapons and equipment that they need and can procure in the shortest possible time.
The defence forces have so far, in the last four years after the Uri attacks, stocked up several spares and missiles which were short in supply till that time.
Meanwhile, the armed forces deployed along the 3,500-km de-facto border with China have been given “full freedom” to give a “befitting” response to any Chinese misadventure, government sources said after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh reviewed the situation in eastern Ladakh at a meeting with the top military brass on Sunday.
The meeting was attended by Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat, Army Chief Gen MM Naravane, Navy Chief Admiral Karambir Singh and Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria.
India has already mobilised fighter jets and sent thousands of additional Army troops to forward locations along the border with China after 20 Indian Army personnel were killed in a brutal attack by Chinese troops in eastern Ladakh’s Galwan Valley on June 15.