During a recent debate in Parliament, Defence Minister A K Antony agreed that the ultimate solution to the scourge of corruption in defence deals was indigenisation. The contention that imports are needed because services require the most modern equipment is fallacious. On many occasions, foreign suppliers don’t deliver the latest technological inventions, and in others, they supply equipment that are obsolete in their own country. Moreover, imports are often based on people’s extraneous reasons guided by foreign jaunts and commissions. They not only drain our foreign exchange reserves, but also are risky. In the unlikely event of a war, foreign suppliers cannot be relied upon, since dealings depend on several political equations. Also, many foreign suppliers indulge in unfair trade practices by selling the main equipment at a competitive rate and subsequently, supplying spares and accessories at exorbitant rates.
E M Adithyan Edapal
Letters can be mailed, faxed or e-mailed to:
The Editor, Business Standard
Nehru House, 4 Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg
New Delhi 110 002
Fax: (011) 23720201
E-mail: letters@bsmail.in
All letters must have a postal address and telephone number
