By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd) Former Director General of Information Systems, Indian Army

While the battle of people versus corruption has come out in the open, the corrupt will try their utmost not to let a strong Lokpal Bill get through. It must be scary to remember when Singapore introduced such a bill two decades ago, some 142 corrupt politicians and officials were arrested in a single day. Singapore did get rid of corruption. However, the manner in which our politicians are taking this issue around in circles, exhibiting political skullduggery of the worst kind, it is amply clear that a strong Lokpal is a distant dream.

How is a strong Lokpal connected to the defence of India? Look at it this way – a strong Lokpal will bring every public servant under the Lokpal. Every government office will have a Charter that will clearly state which officer will do what work and in how much time. Those officials who sit on files in office or ask bribes will be punished. Do you see the connection – what can be asked of the Ministry of Defence and by extension, Government of India?

The immediate questions could well be like why the Eleventh Defence Plan (2007-12), which gets over next year, has not been officially approved yet and ad hoc defence procurement resorted to all these years? Why has the longterm integrated procurement plan (LTIPP) 2007-22 of the military not been approved though sent for approval in 2006? Why has a National Security Strategy not been defined 65 years down the line since Independence?

Why have National Security objectives not been spelt out? Why has a comprehensive defence review not been institutionalised on a five/six yearly basis? Why are portions of the meagre defence budget being surrendered year after year? Why does the MoD not have an institutionalised cell for strategic thinking? How many military personnel are posted in the MoD on deputation and permanent absorption and why, considering most defence ministries globally have such arrangements? Why has HQ IDS not been truly integrated with the MoD? Why is the Defence Intelligence Agency being stopped from its official mandate of operating intelligence sources?

What is the objection to appointing a Chief of Defence Staff? Why does the Andaman and Nicobar Command continue without adequate forces commensurate with its operational charter? Why has the Strategic Forces Command been taken away from the Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee and put under the National Security Advisor? Why have the Directorate General of Quality Assurance and Directorate General Armed Forces Medical Services not been placed under HQ Integrated Defence Staff as was approved? Why does the LCA have 40 per cent imported parts, including engine after decades of development? Why is the gap between our military and Chinese PLA widening exponentially? Why can’t the state of defence forces be presented annually to Parliament or a GoM for deciding budgetary allocations? Why can’t an Act of Parliament be introduced to usher a revolution in military affairs (RMA)?

Why only a Deputy Secretary level officer represented the Government of India at the funeral of Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw? Why is the Order of Precedence of the military falling year after year? What has happened to all the letters written in blood by ex-servicemen and the medals they returned? Why does the Ex-Servicemen Department of the Government not have a single ex-serviceman? Apparently, the government says a charter is fine but government servants must not be penalised if they do not do their work. How, then, are we going to put defence and security on track?

The views expressed herein are the personal views of the author.