Siachen is the highest battlefield in the world with temperatures touching upto -55 degrees Celsius. CAG report cited that the lack of nutrition affected soldiers' calorie intake by 82 per cent. Army Chief General MM Naravane dismissed the observations of the CAG report — which criticised the Army over inadequate gear for soldiers posted in Siachen — as 'outdated'

New Delhi: A day after the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) pulled the Indian Army for delays in procuring high-altitude clothing and equipment (HACE) for troops posted in high altitude areas, Army Chief General MM Naravane said that the report was 'outdated' and belonged to 2015-16. Naravane said that as of today, the Army is well prepared. 

"That report pertains to 2015-16, it's not a report of present times, it's a little outdated. I assure you, as of today we're very well prepared, we're making sure their needs are met," Naravane said.

The Army had recently posted an image giving a glimpse of daily life of a soldier posted at Siachen

On Monday, in its report tabled in the Parliament, the official auditor of the government said that between November 2015- September 2016, there was an acute shortage of snow goggles and boots for troops deployed in Siachen and Ladakh, forcing them to procure old and recycled versions.

The report also cited that the soldiers posted in these virtually inaccessible areas are being supplied inadequate special ration which has affected their calorie intake by 82 per cent. CAG noted that the soldiers had to make do with recycled shoes in temperatures reaching up to -55 degrees Celsius.

Meanwhile, commenting on the modest increase in defence budget, which was revised to 3.37 lakh crore from Rs 3.18 lakh crore in 2019-20, Naravane said, "We have seen a modest increase of about 8% year on year, we will be studying how to manage this budget & how to make full use of it."