By Srinjoy Chowdhury
The crucial Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) headed by Rajnath Singh, the defence minister, is likely to clear the purchase of 200 armoured recovery vehicles (ARV) – a Rs 8,000 crore deal. This will be a huge order for a defence public sector unit that bags it, and will provide the army the ability to move from the battlefield tanks and armoured personnel carriers that have been too damaged to move or have faced technical problems, including engine breakdowns after battle. An ARV is usually a vehicle using an armoured personnel carrier chassis and equipped with a crane or winch. Most countries with large tank reserves have ARVs. Besides the ARV proposal, the DAC (now on July 3, not July 1 as earlier planned) is likely to clear two other major proposals: for the purchase of 12 minesweepers for the Navy, a Rs 43,000 crore deal and for Quick Reaction Surface to Air Missiles for the Army. The minesweepers, to be built by an Indian shipyard, will weigh 3,000 tons and have mine-laying and anti-submarine warfare capabilities. The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) developed the QR-SAM– the deal will cost Rs 30,000 crore. The QR-SAM is a last-gasp defensive measure, and its range will be between 3 and 30 km. Importantly, a proposal is to simplify acquisition procedures, allowing the armed forces to purchase off-the-shelf from the GEM or Government Electronic Market. If this is done, there will be fewer delays. The purchase will be a government-to-government transfer, avoiding unnecessary paperwork and saving time. Besides the defence minister, the chief of defence staff, General Anil Chauhan, the three chiefs, the defence secretary and the DRDO chief. Once cleared by the DAC, the deals go to the cabinet committee on security, if necessary.