Antony to take charge on Monday

New Delhi, May 23 (PTI) A K Antony, the affable
68-year-old Keralite politician, will take charge of the
Indian Defence Ministry for the second consecutive term in the
new United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government on Monday.

Antony faces major challenges in his second stint as
Defence Minister such as plugging gaps in coastal, air and
land security that have come under increased threat in recent
times, more importantly after the chinks were exposed during
the November 26 Mumbai terror attacks and fear of 9/11-style
attacks.

"I will be taking over on Monday," Antony told
reporters here at his residence after Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh asked him to continue in the Defence Ministry today.

Antony, a Rajya Sabha member, took oath as a Cabinet
Minister in the Manmohan Singh government Friday. He served
as Defence Minister for over two years in the previous
dispensation from October 25, 2006, when the then incumbent
Pranab Mukherjee moved to the External Affairs Ministry.

Along with this, comes the challenge of modernising
the 1.5-billion-strong armed forces to world-class standards,
currently under implementation as 15-year Perspective Plans
since the beginning of this decade, and fully utilising the
budgetary allocation, which stands at Rs 1,41,703 crore this
year.

Known as "Mr Clean" because of his impeccable
integrity record, Antony would have to ensure a transparent
and speedy procurement procedure in the over USD 9-billion big
ticket 126 Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft deal, for which
the tenders were issued in August 2007.

These modern fighter aircraft would be needed by the
Indian Air Force (IAF) to augment its fast depleting number of
squadrons and to get it to the estimated 42.5-squadron levels
by 2020 from the existing 33.5-squadron strength.

The troublesome deal for the USD 1.5-billion Gorshkov
aircraft carrier with the Russians, who have demanded an
additional USD 2 billion, would have to be ironed out soon, or
it could badly upset the Navy's plans to have the warship in
its fleet by 2012.

Probably the most important of acquisitions for the
Army would be its different kinds of artillery guns for which
the process has been set in motion.

It is imperative that these towed, self-propelled and
ultra light howitzers are purchased quickly to replace the
ageing Bofors guns, as India has shied away from purchasing
these valuable artillery weapon systems for the last two
decades since the Bofors pay-off scandal broke out in the late
1980s.

Reforms in the defence apparatus by soon creating the
new post of Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) recommended by the
1999 Kargil Review Committee and by Group of Ministers by
reaching a consensus among political parties on the issue
would be a major task that Antony needs to undertake
immediately.

In the wake of the "anomalies" in the Sixth Pay
Commission implementation in August last, the Defence Minister
would be called upon to apply balm to the "hurt" that the
armed forces personnel felt over the unresolved issues.

He will also be expected to address the issues of 70
percent pensionary weightage for jawans and lateral entry for
retired men into the para-military and central police forces.

Though he had pushed for permanent commission to women
officers in select categories of the Services, the growing
demand for a better deal for them would be one major
challenge.

Though the number of suicides and fratricides in the
armed forces have come down drastically in the last two years,
this area still remains a major cause for concern, as it
brings out the "discontent" among personnel within the
service. PTI