Amid face-off with China, Army ammo worth $190 mn languishes in Russia

Army has not carried out pre-despatch inspection (PDI) for the last seven months

This article has been updated to include a statement from the Indian Army Headquarters

Even as the Indian Army faces the prospect of armed hostilities with China’s military, 11 batches of urgently needed Russian ammunition, contracted by the Indian Army for over $190 million, have been lying in warehouses in Russia since February, awaiting shipment to India.

Indian procurement procedures stipulate that the ammunition can be shipped only after a mandatory pre-despatch inspection (PDI) by Indian representatives. However, the Army has not carried out PDI for the last seven months.

First the Army declined to send ordnance inspectors to