The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence, in its report tabled in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, has flagged a slew of challenges being faced by India’s armed forces. The panel has expressed concern over ‘considerable delay’ in the supply of 40 TEJAS Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited. It has recommended that the government should consider buying state-of-the-art fifth-generation fighter aircraft ‘over the counter without losing time. The TEJAS— an all-weather, multi-role fighter aircraft that can be deployed for offensive air support, close combat and ground attacks — is of crucial importance for the country’s military readiness.

Two years ago, another parliamentary panel had highlighted that lack of coordination among stakeholders and a casual approach of the monitoring agencies towards enforcing timelines had led to delays in the implementation of the Tejas programme. It is inexcusable that issues pertaining to the premier fighter jet’s design, systems and weapons have still not been resolved.

Wedged between two hostile neighbours, India needs to maintain a high level of defence preparedness at all times. In a thinly veiled reference to Pakistan and China, the committee has suggested that the Army’s capital budget should be increased so as to enhance its capacity to ward off challenges from across the borders. Ample funds are one of the prerequisites to ensure that the projects related to defence modernisation and indigenisation are not held up. Optimum, time-bound utilisation of these funds also has to be prioritised.

Another area of concern is the hefty import bill. The parliamentary panel has asked the Ministry of Defence to come up with ways and means to not only reduce imports, but also give a push to indigenous products for exports. Incentivising indigenisation can help in decreasing the dependence of the armed forces on foreign sources. The key here is to deliver aircraft, weapons, equipment etc. within the deadline. Indian vendors should be preferred if they can do the needful. In 21st-century warfare, the focus is on remaining ahead of the game in terms of cutting-edge technology and ready-to-use weaponry. India must remember that laggards are bound to end up as losers in any armed conflict.