Soldiers given outdated ration: PAC
Parliamentary panel slams army for glaring deficiency in food supply system
A high-level Parliamentary panel has slammed the Army for its sloppy, corrupt and outdated system of procuring dry rations forcing soldiers to eat food items that are way past the expiry dates while the exchequer is being bled silently.
Highlighting the “glaring deficiencies and inadequacies” in the food supply system of the Army, the Public Accounts Committee has asked the force to update the panel within three months about the steps it would take to rectify the flawed system.
The PAC report – tabled in both Houses of Parliament on Wednesday – re-looked at the “Supply Chain Management of Rations in Indian Army”, that was earlier audited by the Comptroller and Auditor General.
The CAG found gaping holes in the system and flagged several inadequacies. Appearing before the PAC, the Army said 18 rectification proposals were forwarded to the defence ministry, which approved five of them in principle while the rest are under consideration.
The PAC led by BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi asked the Army to inform the panel on the steps being taken to implement those proposals within three months to ensure that supply of wholesale and nutritious foods to soldiers who are guarding the frontiers and the bulwarks of the safety and security of the nation.
The Army has also been asked to recalculate rates of procuring various items of fresh rations as some of the existing rates are “quite unusual and patently absurd” and not to resort to local contracts for buying the supply.
Sensing cartelisation or collusive bidding in awarding contracts, the panel recommended that the Army Service Corps must review its procedures to encourage competition, expand the vendor base and enlist reputed vendors.
The House committee also suggests appointing a scientific or medical officer to advise the Army head quarters on the procurement of rations and upgrade the existing food technology laboratories and setting up of new ones.
Giving a specific example, it deplored that out of 11346 samples of rations sent to Composite Food Laboratories seeking the extension of their estimated storage life, as many as 11,330 samples were granted the extension.
The estimated storage life of of a number of dry rations were extended by the Composite Food Laboratory in Jammu beyond its permissible limit and in some cases even up to 28 months. These dry rations were consumed by the troops even 6-28 months after expiry.
