Expired food, defective copters for forces
Rations unfit for human consumption that includes flour, sugar, rice, tea, pulses, and edible oils well past the expiry date were supplied to troops under the Army’s crucial Northern and Western Commands, a report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has revealed. Another CAG report also highlights the acquisition of “life-
expired” defective UH-3H second-hand helicopters for the Indian Navy, something that defence aviation experts believe could have endangered the lives of naval pilots and other personnel.
The CAG report states that the Jammu-based Composite Food Laboratory (CFL) had permitted consumption of rations to the Northern Command and parts of the Western Command well beyond three months after the expiry of the estimated storage life (ESL).
The CAG audit found that rations “were consumed even six to 28 months after the expiry of their normal ESL.” Army officers said the CFL comes under the purview of the Army Service Corps (ASC). The CAG audit found that while ESL may be extended by a maximum of three months in special circumstances, extension was granted to the rations beyond the initial ESL by the CFLs in 11,330 of the 11,346 samples sent. “ESL of a food item is the period for which the food item is likely to remain fit for human consumption,” the report states.
The CAG report also stated that in the Northern Command alone, Rs 1.92 crore worth of rations remained untraceable as of March 31, 2008. The CAG report also pointed out the unreasonably low rates for fresh rations for Army tenders and the poor response of vendors for Army tenders.
The CAG report also slammed the Indian Air Force for modifying seven medium-lift choppers for VIP use from 2003-2007 without government approval. These choppers were also utilised by family members of VIPs.
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