The government has told defence suppliers and vendors that it would take ?extreme steps? if it detects corruption in any defence acquisition process.
Addressing an international seminar on defence acquisition organised by the Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA) in New Delhi, defence minister A K Antony assured the vendors that they would get a fair treatment in the acquisition processes. At the same time, he asked them ?not to try to corrupt our people?.
?I do not want to be a party to any corrupt practice and will not allow even a rupee of Indian taxpayers? money to be spent on graft,? the minister added.
With the primary objective to stay competitive and yet remain cost efficient, as well as technologically and strategically reliable, defence industrialization would have to be accelerated, he said.
Stressing that defence acquisition in the country would not be propelled by political decisions, he said that up to the trial stage, technical soundness of a product would determine whether it remains in race and after that it would be the price which would determine its ultimate selection for procurement.
According to Antony, ?In our enthusiasm to modernise and upgrade our security infrastructure, we must not allow our defence acquisition procedures to be manipulated or corrupted.?
