According to a Comptroller and Auditor General report on the working of the Defence Ministry, Indian troops stationed in high altitude areas like Siachen and Ladakh faced a critical shortage of high altitude clothing and equipment, including snow goggles and boots for up to four years, reported Livemint.
“There was critical shortage in snow goggles ranging from 62% to 98%. The troops were not issued multi-purpose boots from November 2015 to September 2016 and had to resort to recycling of available boots," CAG said in a report tabled in the parliament on Monday, 3 February.
The CAG report further stated that there was inadequate special ration for these soldiers, affecting their calorie intake by 82 percent.
According to the Economic Times, the report is based on a CAG audit from 2015-16 to 2017-18.
“The report points out that a pilot project to improve housing conditions of troops in high altitude areas remained unsuccessful,” ET said in its report.
The audit mentioned that there was a deficiency of 24 to 100 percent and 41 to 100 percent in Extreme Cold Clothing and Equipment (ECC&E) at two depots where the Northern Command’s Army Headquarters Reserve of such items is stocked.
The CAG also drew attention to the delay in setting up of the Indian National Defence University, as recommended by the Kargil Review Committee in 1999, reported Hindustan Times.
The Livemint report also points out that a delay in renewal of leases pertaining to defence land had led to a pecuniary loss of Rs 27.42 crore. The Defence Ministry had not finalised the policy for renewal of leases of defence land leased to Sports and Recreational Clubs till June 2018.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)