CAG points to delay in supply of small arms

NEW DELHI, AUG. 12. The Comptroller and Auditor General has also taken the Defence Ministry to task for a three-year delay in fulfilling the Army's plan to re-equip its formations with the indigenously developed 5.56 mm Indian Small Arms System (INSAS).

``The Army's plan was to equip its forces with these light arms by 1998 and ordnance factories supplied only 2.75 lakh rifles and light machine guns as on March 2000,'' the CAG said in its latest report tabled in Parliament.

Army officials said the Light Machine Gun from the INSAS series had been put through user trials from November, 1987 to April, 1992 and cleared for troop trials which were completed by 1995.

The Army served a bulk order production in 1997 subject to carrying out modification in carrying handle, mount for optical sight, pistol grip and locking pin.

The CAG report said despite the Army having asked the Ordnance Board in July, 1989 to speed up the process of development so as to introduce the weapon in 1990, ``development and establishment of the weapon had lagged behind by eight years''.

Worse was the case of the INSAS carbine, which the small arms factory, Kanpur, was not successful in developing even after 13 years leading to the Army, supposed to be the bulk consumer, foreclosing its requirement of the carbine in the present form.

The CAG also pulled up ordnance factories for massive shortfalls in supplies of small arms ammunition to the Army during the last seven years saying against an order for 43.46 crore rounds of ammunition, the factories supplied only 26.55 crore rounds.

The report also said a failure to produces the carbines was even more glaring as Rs. 22.18 crores had been spent on purchase of LMGs alone.

It also took to task the ordnance factory, Varangaon, saying it had taken more than 12 years for development of tracer ammunition for the 5.56 mm system.

Giving a year-wise break-up in failure to meet delivery schedule of the 5.56 mm rifles, it said in 1993-94 the Army against a requirement of 48,000 rifles ordered just 7,000 without receiving even a single gun.

And between 1995 and 2000 against a requirement of 5,28,000 rifles, the Ishapore factory only supplied 2,69,612 rifles, while to date against a requirement of 37,600 LMGs, the Army barely received 5,778.

- PTI

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