<p class="title">Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday accused the previous UPA government of doing "nothing" during its 10-year rule to upgrade Defence Public Sector Undertakings, two days after a Mirage-2000 crashed in Bengaluru during a sortie killing both the pilots.</p>.<p class="bodytext">She also said the crash of the trainer aircraft after an upgrade under a programme being carried out by the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) on Friday was "not a setback for indigenisation". "It is a fact that many things have to be improved in PSUs."</p>.<p class="bodytext">Sitharaman said this to reporters in reply to a specific question on the crash and the reported statement of Air Chief Marshal B S Dhanoa, who was in Bengaluru on the day of the jet crash, that while indigenisation is important, it comes with a price.</p>.<p class="bodytext"><a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/city/evidence-suggests-wheels-gave-716399.html" target="_blank"><em><strong>Also Read: Evidence suggests wheels gave way; </strong></em></a><a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/city/evidence-suggests-wheels-gave-716399.html" target="_blank"><em><strong>blackbox</strong></em></a><a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/city/evidence-suggests-wheels-gave-716399.html" target="_blank"><em><strong> retrieved</strong></em></a><br /><br />"It was not a setback. For 10 years, they (UPA dispensation) did nothing to upgrade the DPSUs, whether it was HAL or BEL," the defence minister said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">She said the previous governments could have gone for capital investments in DPSUs, upgraded machinery skilled workers to international-level results.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"If they had done these things during the 10 years, the opportunity could have been there to take the PSUs at part with world standards, but they failed," Sitharaman said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">She said the NDA government is making efforts to upgrade the PSUs and also shipyards.</p>
<p class="title">Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday accused the previous UPA government of doing "nothing" during its 10-year rule to upgrade Defence Public Sector Undertakings, two days after a Mirage-2000 crashed in Bengaluru during a sortie killing both the pilots.</p>.<p class="bodytext">She also said the crash of the trainer aircraft after an upgrade under a programme being carried out by the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) on Friday was "not a setback for indigenisation". "It is a fact that many things have to be improved in PSUs."</p>.<p class="bodytext">Sitharaman said this to reporters in reply to a specific question on the crash and the reported statement of Air Chief Marshal B S Dhanoa, who was in Bengaluru on the day of the jet crash, that while indigenisation is important, it comes with a price.</p>.<p class="bodytext"><a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/city/evidence-suggests-wheels-gave-716399.html" target="_blank"><em><strong>Also Read: Evidence suggests wheels gave way; </strong></em></a><a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/city/evidence-suggests-wheels-gave-716399.html" target="_blank"><em><strong>blackbox</strong></em></a><a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/city/evidence-suggests-wheels-gave-716399.html" target="_blank"><em><strong> retrieved</strong></em></a><br /><br />"It was not a setback. For 10 years, they (UPA dispensation) did nothing to upgrade the DPSUs, whether it was HAL or BEL," the defence minister said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">She said the previous governments could have gone for capital investments in DPSUs, upgraded machinery skilled workers to international-level results.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"If they had done these things during the 10 years, the opportunity could have been there to take the PSUs at part with world standards, but they failed," Sitharaman said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">She said the NDA government is making efforts to upgrade the PSUs and also shipyards.</p>