On Wednesday, The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filed a charge sheet, in which many VIP officials under the Congress era has been named for irregularities in the INR 3727 Cr Augusta Westland VVIP chopper scam.
ANI reported, former Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), Defence Secretary Shashikant Sharma and four other retired Indian Air Force officers have been named in the charge sheet.
VVIP Augusta Westland chopper scam
In the 2006 chopper scam, many congress leaders and military officials were accused of accepting bribes from Augusta Westland to win the contract of USD 48 million VVIP helicopters. According to the CBI charge sheet, USD 33 million was transferred to these politicians and officials through bank accounts in the UK and UAE.
Read more: In a big step forward, India will soon be Aatmanirbhar in the manufacture of 90% of Defence products
Congress & Corruption
Congress has become a synonym of corruption. Gandhis and their party are involved in almost every scam after independence. The timeline of corruption starts just after independence as the Jeep Scam in the reign of former PM Jawaharlal Nehru. The Submarine scam in Indira Gandhi Era, Bofors scam – the mother of all scams by Rajiv Gandhi. In Sonia – Rahul era, Boeing Aircraft scam 2009, Adarsh Housing Society scam – steals homes of widows of Martyrs, VVIP chopper scam, and Tatra Truck scam.
How scams in the defence affect the security of the country
Two hostile neighbours of India are nuclear-capable. The frequent skirmish along the border may scale into a war. In this situation, the readiness of security forces should be a top priority. The procurement of world-class weapons, arms and ammunition is the need of the hour.
The recent Russia-Ukraine war teaches the lesson that we should be ready for any misadventure of the hostile neighbour. Most importantly, indigenous defence manufacturing should be promoted to make India self-reliant in this sector.
The corruption not only affects the quality of the weapons but also stalls further progress in defence procurement which ultimately undermine the security of the country.
Read more: Aatmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India schemes are all set to make India a global defence powerhouse
The change brought in defence procurement
To stop this corruption and cut money in defence procurement, Modi Government has brought overhaul change in the system. For everything related to defence procurement, they have launched a dedicated Defense eProcurement Portal, through which every process is conducted online in a crisp manner.
And also the indigenous defence industry boost by the Modi government is also a great leap forward.
The Corruption/congress party has not only looted the money in this process but also has undermined the safety and security of the country.