One FIR, Government blacklists 7 firms, hits artillery upgrade

Having already taken a knocking with the controversies involving Bofors and Denel, India’s artillery modernisation programme hit another roadblock when the Ministry of Defence, taking note of bribery allegations in a fresh case, blacklisted seven firms, including gun manufacturer Singapore Technologies (ST) and munitions giant Israeli Military Industries (IMI) until further notice.

With all dealings with the two firms put on hold, defence contracts worth over Rs 6,000 crore — all involving artillery guns and ammunition for the Army — are now in deep freeze.

Confirming a report in The Indian Express, the Ministry of Defence said “all acquisition cases in the pipeline” with seven firms have been “put on hold” after their names figured in a CBI probe into corruption charges against former Director General of Ordnance Factory Board Sudipta Ghosh.

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In Pune, a Defence institute gets a civilian makeover

Winds of change are blowing at the premier DRDO establishment, Defence Institute of Advanced Technology (DIAT), as it opens its doors wide open to civilians and turns into a full-fledged university.

And among the first things on the cards at the Pune-based institute is nomenclature. The masters degree in Mechanical Engineering in Combat Vehicles has been renamed as Automobile Engineering, while another ME Mechanical degree course in Guided Missiles is now called Aerospace Engineering.

“We are trying to change the nomenclature of certain courses that are not linked exclusively with defence and broad base their curriculum so that eventually civilians can avail of admission into these courses,” says DIAT’s Vice-Chancellor Prof L M Patnaik, who assumed charge in March this year. Civilians can gain admission beginning sometime in 2009.

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