Sanjha Morcha

Panel to trim armed forces

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 20

The Ministry of Defence has set up an 11-member committee headed by a retired Lieutenant General to suggest major structural changes in the Army, IAF and the Navy, like cutting down on “flab” and reducing day-to-day expenses.This will entail doing away with posts that may have become redundant due to technology and ensuring that modernisation or addition of new equipment does not mean a corresponding rise in numbers for the force.Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar has ordered the committee to report in three months. It is headed by Lt Gen BD Sheketkar (retd), its nine other members are retired officers and its member-secretary is a Joint Secretary-level officer. The Tribune had first reported on May 2 that the MoD would set up a panel to reduce flab. The three forces have been consulted and asked to project what all can be done away with.

New fighter jet may be Rafale, Boeing or Eurofighter

  • The government is yet to decide on which fighter jet will be ‘made in India’. Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said it could be the French origin Rafale, the F-18 from Boeing, the Eurofighter from Airbus or the Gripen from Sweden
  • In an interview to the state broadcaster, Parrikar said the decision on the type of multi-role fighter jets would be taken during this financial year