Defence Ministry needs stability, it is not a part-time job

While the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is enjoying its moment of glory, one aspect has received little attention: After 28 months as defence minister, Manohar Parrikar has been rushed to Goa as the chief minister. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, who was also the defence minister for the first six months of this government’s term, has been given the “additional” charge yet again. The government should end this short-term solution and appoint a full-fledged minister who knows the intricacies of this crucial portfolio.

Mr Parrikar has had middling success as defence minister. He did much better than the insular approach of A K Antony, who was in charge of the ministry in the previous Congress-led coalition at the Centre. Mr Parrikar was far more open to engaging with the private sector and backed indigenisation during his short tenure. But, on the whole, his achievements lag far behind what he promised. Despite being more accessible, he could not improve the procurement process. Some of the big-bang reforms he had promised have remained on paper; for example, strategic tie-ups between the private sector and foreign defence players, the appointment of the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) and a single-point military adviser to the government who will ensure tri-services integration.

The truth is that the military’s operational capabilities continue to be hamstrung by equipment deficiencies and Mr Parrikar could not pivot the private sector in defence to push the government’s much-vaunted “Make in India” programme either to create jobs or expand technological capabilities. Not a single major order has been awarded to private companies that have invested heavily in defence manufacturing. There were several other glaring misses during his tenure. For instance, soon after taking over, Mr Parrikar promised that within a month he would set out a new blacklisting policy, which would, instead of resorting to blanket bans, heavily penalise vendors that failed to deliver. But what came through, after a two-year delay, was a watered down version of the policy, which did not even have well-defined financial penalties. Similarly underwhelming was his promise of acting against terrorists infiltrating from across the Line of Control. However, repeated and stunningly audacious attacks in Gurdaspur, Pathankot, Uri and Nagrota — the last happened after the “surgical strikes” in response to Uri — were embarrassing reminders of India’s inability to defend even its military bases.

On the financial front, too, the achievements were limited. As has been profiled, India’s defence budget allocations and spending continue to be ill-directed and wholly inadequate to meet the emerging challenges when faced with the threat of a dominant China. The Budget for 2017-18 barely had enough funds allotted for the modernisation of defence projects. Considering the country still imports 65 per cent of its military requirements, this was surprising.

Mr Parrikar was seen to be distracted by events in Goa — he often enough rushed to the state to manage local politics. It is no surprise then that he had limited success in getting a buy-in from the defence bureaucracy to change the age-old approach. Now that he is back in Goa, Prime Minister Narendra Modi should ensure that this crucial ministry has a champion who can provide his or her undivided attention to addressing the urgent concerns in India’s defence sector. Mr Jaitley, who is also in charge of corporate affairs, already has his hands full.