The Ministry of Defence clarified on Tuesday, 5 February, that its notice on not being able to pay for the transportation of army officers for postings, training and exercise courses due to shortage of funds, is “baseless news” and that funds in any specified head may fall “short momentarily”.
The ministry further said that the “hype is unnecessary”.
The clarification comes after a note on the official website of Principal Controller of Defence Accounts (PCDA), posted on Monday, triggered an uproar on social media. The note read:
“Due to insufficient funds available under Temporary Duty & Permanent Duty Heads of Army Officers, no TA/DA advances & claims can be processed till receipt of sufficient funds under the relevant heads. However facility for LTC will continue.”
The notification also led to outrage amongst Army officers.
Speaking to The Times of India, an army officer said, “It can potentially disrupt the army's day-to-day functioning. For instance, over 50 percent of officers on temporary duty at any given time have been tasked to attend courses, which are less than 180 days in duration, at different places.”
Another army officer took to Twitter and questioned the Modi government over the notice.
‘How’s the Shame’: Congress Slams Modi Govt
Convenor of AICC Communications, Priyanka Chaturvedi, slammed the Modi government for “cheating the army” and said, “To help a bankrupt friend get rich, BJP government denied the air force the number of jets they sought. To seek political benefit from surgical strikes they asked how’s the josh? Look how they have cheated our army too RM, how’s the shame?”
Another Congress spokesperson Jaiveer Shergill brought up the latest film ‘Uri-The Surgical Strike’ and slammed the government.
According to The Times of India report, the overall transportation and other expenses for officers and jawans is said to be around Rs 4,000 crore per year. However, PCDA was reportedly given Rs 3,200 crore which has been exhausted.
(With inputs from The Times of India)
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