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| Arjun MBT at Defexpo 2012 | Photo: Shiv Aroor |
Before it was blacklisted last month, Israeli Military Industries (IMI) was steeped in a complex consultancy for the indigenous Arjun Mk.2 battle tank, a platform the DRDO is depending on for more solid orders from the Indian Army. IMI, which was one of six firms barred from business with the Indian MoD last month, was, along with compatriot firm Elbit, providing all manner of assistance to the Combat Vehicles R&D Establishment (CVRDE) to ready the improved Arjun Mk.2 for user trials in June this year.
The firm had been helping improve the overall design of the tank, specifically its turret and hull for more accurate and reliable firepower. Crucially, the firm was also helping the programme team optimise fuel consumption and mobility by bringing down overall weight. Finally, it was to provide assistance in optimising production line processes at the OFB’s Heavy Vehicles Factory (It was an OFB related issue that led to the firm being blacklisted along with five others).
DRDO, HAL, BEML and all PSUs can also be blacklisted. Everyone knows that the corruption (procurement etc) in these places is worse than meets the eye.
Corruption is the culture here.
Please see evidence at:
http://corruptionindrdo.com/
why were they blacklisted??? never heard that news,,what about lots of black sheep inside our country why not black list them first..
With Mr.Anthony as defence minister the work of the ISI & the Chinese has been lessened.
is there anything that the super power indian's can do with out the isreli or russian help?
Just keep a white list,, that means everyone by default is black listed, somehow they have to proove they are innocent to get white listed,,,meanwhile loot will continue from inside nation!!!
Welcome Delays at a time when we need the tanks really bad. This situation is due to failure of the DRDO Army and the MOD collectively. WAIT WAIT and watch, WAIT!
http://corruptionindrdo.com/
who registered this site?
do u know what do u mean by subversion?
its a form of foreign intelligence tactic to replace high tech institutions or remove them
whats the purpose of this news item?
Shiv, as I understand it, IMI and the rest have only been barred from doing business with the OFB, and not the entire MoD. It shouldn't affect co operation with the DRDO
Shiv, as I understand it, IMI and the rest have only been barred from doing business with the OFB, and not the MoD in general. So the blacklisting shouldn't affect ongoing co operation with the DRDO
St Anthony can even wear an angels garb to project his super clean image and blacklist every company doing business with the MOD. What is more prudent and justifiable would be to weed out the corrupted babus under his watch.
Why blame foreigners when Indians from every strata of society are more than willing to sell their womenfolk and the country for money and all the luxury that money can buy.
Clean your bloody house first before trying to clean offshore houses. By blacklisting each and every foreign vendor assisting in indigenous effort such as the improvement of Arjun Mk2, etc. St Anthony is showing his utter disregard to the enhancement of local industry. Moreover he is just creating another 'bofors' vacuum.
He should be pragmatic and the CBI to investigate any company for specific infringement of contract or specific corruption by personnel of the foreign and PSU. Such action would weed out the undesirables from within and without. No point in killing the patient who has just a sore. Excision of the sore would be more than enough.
At the rate foreign defence vendors are blacklisted, there won't be any to assist the lagging and lackluster Indian defence PSUs.
St Anthony and his ICS file pushers would do the nation a great service if they could do a decent job for which they are being paid with the taxpayers' hard earned money.
Leave Arjun!!! we need tavor:)))))))))
Hilarious!!!
We spend and pay cores to these firms in sensitive defense projects ,and just when things are at a crucial stage some one comes up with a complaint.
Then the most convenient action taken is blacklist and stop everything.
Nothing ever seems to happen to the Indians who got the kickback and the foreign firm in most cases has already got its money.
The only people left hanging are the forces who see the repeat cycle of endless delays and the public exchequer which will again see millions washed down the drain.
@Mihir: No. This was clarified by AK Antony at Defexpo. The blacklist extends to doing business with all departments and agencies under the MoD.
Shiv- I just watched the youtube video you uploaded about the ISI's bullshit about Siachen.
Guess what the funniest thing is? The background music.
Pt. Shiv Kumar Sharma's santoor… Music of the mountains 🙂 🙂
well…its a simple Q with a complex answer…would you rather let your defense preparedness go down to avoid corruption…what say you shiv??
Anthony & co, biggest bunch of jokers to have ever become decision makers. Sadly India is saddled with such chaps while the rest of the world marches ahead.
From the very beginning right from our own army to several other internal and external agencies have been going out of their way to scuttle the Arjun project. The conduct of the Indian Army and it's top brass in this matter has been the most appalling. They even went to the extent of deliberately trying to sabotage the tank during trials due to which a black box had to be installed. The ex Army Chief, Gen Kapoor, who was later implicated in all kinds of scams was the most ardent critic of Arjun (Indianized German Leopard tank). All this was done to hasten the acquisition of inferior T90 tanks for which lord only knows how much kickbacks must have been paid. If 14 crores kickbacks were being offered for lowly Tatra trucks then one can only hazard a guess about the amount of kickbacks that would have been paid for T90 tanks.Even the Russian Army refuses to increase the order for T90 as they consider it nothing more than a souped up T72 (famous for being massacred in gulf war).
Mr. Shiv and all the people on this blog, i have one query, although not related to this topic but poking me contantly and the query is that yesterday that is 10/04/2012 and today i saw CH-%# chopper in delhi skies probably coming from north nad going towards south may be at palam or IGI, can any one explain this that what CH-53 might be doing here in delhi, because for me its quite a rare and strange to see CH-53 first time in indian skies that to in delhi as we know that it is mainly used by US NAVY and MARINES. Can anybody explain this ?
This guy increasingly reminds me of Krishna Menon. Another incompetent defence minister. Anthony is squeaky clean but probably one of the most incompetent ministers that is leaving India naked.
Nothing new over here. They blacklist the firms, product gets delayed. In a few years services panic about lack of fighting assets, bureaucrats then bring in a saviour at an exorbitant price.
hmmm… so are the commonwealth games being played every year in India now?.
I sure know which party i will NOT vote for in the general elections…
The next list of blacklisted companies will include- rosoboronexport, lockheed martin, boeing, dcns, fincantieri, rafale, airbus.
Mr. Anthony Zindabad
Hello,
First of all, I want to clear some air here, A.K Anthony is by far the clean defense minter India has seen after vallabhai Patel. Some do not like him because he is a christian, some because he wears a lungi and some because he is not good in English. what is Shame! Well, lets see, Anthony stood up to American, British and Russian pressure to get IAF 126 aircraft, not the ministry choice but the air force chosen one. Remember, Obama, Clinton and Gates were egging Anthony for the American aircraft but he did not budge! Arjun Tank was given a life under his ministry, how? Okay, when General Kapoor (The most corrupt) wanted more Arjun Trials there by getting enough time to get T-90s, Anthony asked the army for a 1-1 combat, the results we all know. The same is going on with Nag now. The army is looking for French, American ATM, while Nag has to constantly prove more than the foreign firms. The middlemen in arms bazaar buy time in media, and exploit us, while the country defense rots. This minister is stemming that Rot, and for god-sake, its not only the babus, its some one in the army ( I recon, the army's mechanized division, all powerful, which is the culprit), who is to blame. Look at IAF and Indian Army, they constantly get Indian made vessels and avionics packages but Army is different. Army men made money of ration meant for its people fighting insurgents in Kashmir, such is its plight! Akash, SAM was recently accepted not because it was not worthy enough before, but the Israeli firms wanted to block it! People, foreign firms know that we can sell our-self for money. So, the solution is not by picking a corrupt babu or a corrupt army men, the solution is to say "No to Bribe". For once, we have a good defense minister and good Army Chief, I salute them both. I almost forgot, I am not from Kerala!
Cheers,
Bharath
Looks true….
You gotta know there is a Chinese hand at work when we blacklist our closest friends and allies and do irrepairable damage to our military capability. This is not about corruption (otherwise we should blacklist ourselves first), this is about foreign agents throwing a monkey wrench on our defense programs.
India has done well wherever foreign support was not available. It appears that foreign arms manufacturing companies and their agents are successful in preventing the enhancement of the manufacturing capacity of defense equipment and systems in India. They are also successful in putting obstacles in the indigenization efforts. Another very important issue is that these agents of the foreign arms manufacturing companies are totally successful in preventing India to export any arms and weapons manufactured with indigenous technology. We must again make all out efforts to become self reliant in our defense needs.
One more thing, I wish to add that government must extend protection to all those who were brave enough to take the decision to blacklist the corrupt companies, lest they are physically harmed.
Bharath 10.00pm,
You are right on most of the points but I digress where St Anthony's style of leadership is concerned. He has to be passionate about his ministry and the people (the Armed Forces) under his watch. He should be able to tell the idiotic ICS wallahs who most often than not stymie MOD projects at the behest of lobbyists who lick the butt of foreign vendors.
If the black sheep in the MOD are weeded out, then most of the delays in defence procurement can be ironed out.
People cite St Anthony as another ineffective Krishna Menon not because he is another Keralite. It is because the bloody nose that we got from the Chinese was during Krishna Menon and Nehru's time. Krishna Menon was blamed for that military disaster in 1962 for being indecisive at crucial times. He is blamed for the blatant unpreparedness of the Army.There might have been constraints but it was his duty to be ever vigilant to the needs of the Armed Forces and the security of the nation. He failed miserably in both.
Having said the above, Krishna Menon was a great and respected statesman not withstanding the fact he was not pragmatic and did not have the vision to make the Armed Forces strong.
Unlike during Krishna Menon's era, India has a vibrant economy which can afford to give the Army, IAF and the Navy the best to be able to withstand any assault from its enemies.
He is seen to be going through the motion of equipping the Armed Forces but a snail's pace. He is easily diverted and the lethargic pace of defence acquisition gets bogged down at the hint of a scandal.
I have nothing against him being a Malayalee Christian. To me he is Indian. Period. I only expect him to focus on the task at hand and not being hyper sensitive and obsessed with his image.
Well said Bharath.."the solution is to say "No to Bribe"".
@ Shiv, We often heard about more and more trials of SAM likes Akash or ATGM Nag or its Aerial version (helicopter launched)HELINA. Any idea, what is still wrong with them resulting in repeated trails of Nag, Akash, HELINA or NAMICA? What about Trishul? What is so superior with SPYDER, SPIKE, JAVELINE OR BARAK? What I know IMI and Elbit are providing consultancy to many projects. If you can elaborate on the details of nature of this consultancy? I read earlier DRDO has incorporated most of the suggestions from Army given during Arjun MK I trails in the Arjun MK II. Have IMI and Elbit provided necessary designs? Moreover any update on projects likes of FMBT, AMCA and Surya Missile and Nirbhay Missile and yet to be named Super sonic long range criuse Missile and Hypersonic Bhramos Missile?
~ Arnab
———–Pratibha Patil grabs 26100 sqft land for soldiers & officers…——————-
What a nice President!!!
http://www.moneylife.in/article/president-patil-grabs-261000-sq-ft-of-land-meant-for-soldiers-and-officers/24929.html
who needs wmd s & expensive fighter jets & economic blockades?if u need to derail indian army modernization & make india weak spin out a kickback scam & its curtains 4 that project 4 adecade..has ne1 thought of the fact that bribes have to be paid even by firms with good technology simply because of the demand of corrupt officials
This is going to Hurt..
Hurt us Badly………..
Somebody Pleaseeeee Check, whether M.O.D people do have Brains.
I think they are Brain Dead !
Looks like our Poor Tank is going to Suffer…..
Reports are on now that the T-90 APFDS ammo will now be imported expeditiously and contract is imminent,probably with Russia.
Media reports indicate that this ammo fell in short supply after IMI,the supplier came under investigation for 'corruption-investigations'. MOD in usual fashion stopped dealing with IMI without caring a hoot that the ammo was required by the army.
NOW, we will pay extortionist rates for speedy supply for this ammo,probably to Russia,at many times the price and probably inferior to that IMI was originally supplying to us.
Our capacity for self harm and causing far greater loss is a supposed quest for probity now no longer surprises.
All we can do is sigh and hope for the best.
Shiv said:
"@Mihir: No. This was clarified by AK Antony at Defexpo. The blacklist extends to doing business with all departments and agencies under the MoD."
Well that does not debar IMI doing business with R Rishi and bypassing things the Vectra model. Is not it?
Israelies have found out that Indians are suckers as far as Defense procurement is concerned.They wasted millions of dollars in our ELINT aircraft in Boeing 707 platform inspite of Rajiv Gandhi wanting Boeing 747 as it was more recent aircraft.No body was hauled up for this.At last most of the guys here who comment seem to work for corruption and will shout at Antony only if he black list Israeli or American firms. If he does the same thing with Russian firms these guys will sing Hossanahs for St antony. I think we are having the best Defence minster free from corruption.
Anyhow, Arjun MBT development should not suffer in any case.
Blacklisting firms are not gonna do any harm to India. Either we will do indigenous product or find another partner. regarding shortage of critical fighting equipment.. there will always be shortage. its not exactly equipment that win battle. its strategy. there will always be newer and sophisticated equipment coming out every now and then and armed forces will seek it. Delay in procuring doesn't mean we don't have other equipment to go for war. The chances of full on war is extremely rare with our neighbors cos it would end up going nuclear. I hope all these arms dealers are kicked out and indigenous production brought in for all. Amred forces needs to be forced to buy our own products for the sake of developing it further into a better product. And ofcourse bring in private firms and make production houses and design houses more responsible for their product and delays.
personaly, i do not think the title Mr Clean or "St' to DM Mr Anthony is justified, … an analysis of the bigger picture tells another story, of him being a gear in a larger machine which is seeking its own gains…we at the bottom of the pyramid can hardly fathom the depth of the overall strategy with which india is being manipulated…Swiss scandals ..and Swiss planes purchased…rumors of SG's relatives as part of selection boards of the latest MMRCA Rafael deals…Anti Israel news in everyday media, while Palestine gets a nod from Delhi for the UN..an exact oppostite of how things were when the BJP was in power…sounds familiar? It will take an outsider to reveal this Pandoras box of the depth of corruption…its not abt mOney..its abt which direction india is being led into,…The part of Caliphate belt.
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