Indian Soldiers Fed Food 28 Months Past Expiry Date

[Deletedid1]

[color=#333333][font=Helvetica, Arial,]
NEW DELHI - A parliamentary panel is understood to have slammed the Army for "deep-rooted and widespread malpractices" in its ration supply chain, observing that jawans were served ration items that had, in some cases, passed their expiry dates by 28 months.[/font][/color]
[color=#333333][font=Helvetica, Arial,]
The Public Accounts Committee, in its report expected to be tabled in the Parliament soon, is understood to have revealed "several glaring deficiencies and inadequacies" in the supply chain management of rations in the Army.[/font][/color]
[color=#333333][font=Helvetica, Arial,]
Decrying that 74 per cent of fresh vegetables and fruits issued to units by supply depots were not in accordance with prescribed norms, the Committee said there are serious anomalies in receipt and supply of vegetables in a station where test checks were done.[/font][/color]
[color=#333333][font=Helvetica, Arial,]
"Deficiencies noticed in the test check are reflective of the deep-rooted and widespread malpractices in the supply chain management of the Indian Army," the PAC is understood to have observed in its report.[/font][/color]
[color=#333333][font=Helvetica, Arial,]
The PAC has observed "shortcomings" in procurement procedures of Army Service Corps, issue of rations to troops even after expiry of original Estimated Storage Life (ESL), highly non-competitive procurement of fresh rations and deviation from the laid down guidelines.[/font][/color]
[color=#333333][font=Helvetica, Arial,]
The Committee said it was startled to learn that "ESL of a number of dry rations was extended by an Army lab beyond its permissible limit".[/font][/color]
[color=#333333][font=Helvetica, Arial,]
"Still worse, these dry rations were consumed by the troops even six to 28 months after expiry of their normal ESL," it is believed to have said.[/font][/color]
[color=#333333][font=Helvetica, Arial,]
The committee deplored the mismatch in issue and receipt of rations observing that this was "inconceivable without complicity of officers" concerned.[/font][/color]
[color=#333333][font=Helvetica, Arial,]
"Responsibility should be fixed on concerned officers for serious discrepancies and shortages noticed in the issue... stringent prophylactic and punitive measures taken to ensure that such serious lapses do not recur," the PAC is understood to have said.[/font][/color]
[color=#333333][font=Helvetica, Arial,]
The Committee has also made observations about the "poor satisfaction level of troops regarding quality, quantity and taste of rations".[/font][/color]
[color=#333333][font=Helvetica, Arial,]
The Committee said it was "deeply dismayed" to observe recurrent shortfalls in procurement of tea and pulses during a specific time-frame and the deficiency was made good by local procurement by incurring an avoidable expenditure of over Rs 30 crore.[/font][/color]
[color=#333333][font=Helvetica, Arial,]
It noted that out of 343 annual procurement contracts for dry rations for troops, 80 were cancelled due to non-performance of the contracts.[/font][/color]
[color=#333333][font=Helvetica, Arial,]
"We demand that causes of failure of large number of contracts and possibility of an unholy nexus between the contractors and the local traders to create artificial shortages in stocks of food articles and market volatility needs to be investigated," the panel is believed to have said.[/font][/color]
[color=#333333][font=Helvetica, Arial,]
The Committee also asked the Ministry to probe the possibility of "nefarious deals" between purchasing authorities and suppliers.[/font][/color]
[color=#333333][font=Helvetica, Arial,]
The Committee has observed that Standard Operating Procedure of the Army to procure rations has become outdated and needs to be revisited and updated.[/font][/color]
[color=#333333][font=Helvetica, Arial,]
[url="http://news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/Asia/Story/A1Story20111224-317999.html"]http://news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/Asia/Story/A1Story20111224-317999.html[/url][/font][/color]
[color=#333333][font=Helvetica, Arial,]
[/font][/color]

[Chocolateboy]

[Maximus]

[img]http://i42.tinypic.com/258qdu9.gif[/img]papam...

[sri1]

[pandemkodi]

mari soldiers ki ela fresh food teeskostaaru leyyy....akkada Kasab gaadu tinali ...inka mana pandi politcions tinali...appudu edom migilindi istaru soldiers ki....

papam kasab gaadu ikkada baaga kastapadtunnadu kada...vaadiki fresh food kaavali