The Hindu : `Troop deployment will continue'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Apr 25, 2002

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National

`Troop deployment will continue'

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI APR. 24. The Government would continue with the deployment of troops on the border as there was no abatement of cross-border terrorism abetted by Pakistan, said the Defence Minister, Mr. George Fernandes, in a written reply in Rajya Sabha today.

The financial implications of the on-going deployment of the armed forces could be assessed properly only after the mobilisation was over, he added.

To another question, the Minister said the Government had taken all possible steps, including consistently taking up the issue of release and repatriation of missing Indian defence personnel, with the Pakistan Government at all levels.

However, Pakistan has never acknowledged their presence in its custody. The Government would continue to take up the issue with Pakistan, he said on being asked by Nana Deshmukh whether the Government had been approached by the kith and kin of prisoners of war (PoW) to appoint an independent agency to trace 54 PoWs.

The Minister said indigenisation of spares had been undertaken in aircraft, warships, armaments, tanks, vehicles and electronic and engineering equipment. The combined value of the products of ordnance factories and Defence PSUs during 2000-2001 was about Rs. 14,000 crores as against approximately Rs. 1,800 crores on import of stores (excluding capital equipment) comprising components, spares, overhaul etc.

The recent permission to the private sector to participate in the defence industry up to 100 per cent and also with foreign direct investment up to 26 per cent would add to the investment already in the public sector.

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