The Coming War With China? India Clears Cash Hurdle for Arms Purchase

In view of escalating tension across the Trijunction near Sikkim and Bhutan, India has cleared all the hurdles in purchase of emergency arms and ammunition worth thousands of crores, said reports hinting at a preparedness for a “short intense war” between the two Asian giants.

Such a short and intense war lasts for 10 to 15 days and the standoff at the Doklam plateau in Sikkim. Citing the lessons learnt from the cross border attack on Uri military base last year with 19 soldiers killed due to shortage of artillery ammunition, tanks shells, fuses and spares for weapons platforms, Indian Army is being made war-ready for a sudden and small intense war.

India Today has reported that the army will use the funds released for buying 46 kinds of ammunition, spares for 10 weapons platforms including infantry combat vehicles and mines without waiting for the regular route to buy them.

“Unlike previous process, there is no pre-determined cap on the amount that can be spent. Rather, the limit to spending has been tied to the minimum stores, ammunition that must be in the reserve of the army at a given time,” a senior Ministry of Defence officer told India Today.

The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) had highlighted severe shortfall of arms and ammunition in its 2015 report stating:”We found during the review that against the WWR of 40 (I) days, the availability of ammunition was only in 10 per cent of the total types of ammunition held (March 2013),” indicating an acute shortage directly impairing the operational readiness of the Army.