Private industry granted one
last chance tomorrow to present case for upgrading BMP-2 (above)
By Ajai Shukla
Business Standard, 23rd Jan 17
On Tuesday, in a negative signal that will
resonate discouragingly through India’s private defence industry, the ministry
of defence (MoD) plans to kill competitive tendering for a Rs 5,000 crore project
to upgrade the army’s 1,500 BMP-2 infantry combat vehicles (ICVs). Instead the
project is being gifted to the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB), without
competition.
Capable private firms like Larsen &
Toubro, Tata Motors, the Mahindras, Reliance Defence and Alpha Design
Technology Ltd (ADTL) are being entrusted with designing, developing and
manufacturing a high-tech Future Infantry Combat Vehicle (FICV) for the army, a
“Make in India” contract about to be awarded. But they have been eliminated,
without explanation, from the relatively simple task of upgrading the BMP-2 to grant
it a lease of life until the FICV enters service.
This despite repeated assurances from
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar that he will treat private defence firms as
partners on par with defence public sector undertakings (DPSUs) and the OFB. Successive
Defence Procurement Policies (DPPs) have promised a “level playing field” for
the private sector. Prime Minister Narendra Modi too has exhorted private industry
to spearhead “Make in India” in defence.
Despite the MoD’s “nomination” of the OFB
for the BMP-2 upgrade, private defence firms are fighting to remain in the fray.
On Friday, industry chamber, Ficci, wrote to the MoD, requesting permission for
industry to present its case at a crucial Tuesday meeting of the Services
Capital Acquisition Plan Categorization Higher Committee (SCAPCHC), which will
rule on who will upgrade the BMP-2.
After silence from the ministry, industry
representatives met MoD officials on Monday afternoon to press their case.
Sources say permission has been granted.
“If the ministry hands the OFB the BMP-2
upgrade on a platter, it will prove what we have always feared --- that we will
always get step-motherly treatment because there is no political will to expose
the DPSUs and OFB to market competition”, says a private industry CEO,
bitterly.
The BMP-2, which the Indian Army calls the
Sarath, is a tracked, armoured vehicle that carries three crewmembers and a
“stick” of seven fully armed infantrymen. It can move cross-country at 45
kilometres per hour, keeping up with tanks and providing mechanised formations
with mobile infantry to occupy the ground that tanks overrun.
Since the BMP-2 upgrade was first announced
last March, it was to be a competitive programme featuring the private sector.
Between March-June 2016, the army issued four separate Requests for Information
(RFIs), soliciting interest from private firms in fitting the BMP-2 with a new,
more powerful engine than its current 300 Horse Power engine; increasing its
firepower with newer, more capable gun controls and electronics; and fitting a
more modern, accurate anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) than the old Konkurs
missiles it currently carries.
More than 20 private defence companies
responded to the RFIs of May-June 2016, many of them having already built up
technological capabilities and infrastructure for the FICV development project,
a separate Rs 50,000 crore tender under the “Make” category. They offered to
upgrade the BMPs within three years, with indigenisation of at least 50 per
cent. Yet, these were ruled out to make way for the OFB.
Contacted by Business Standard to explain
the rationale for privileging the OFB, the MoD has not responded.
Meanwhile, since late 2015, the army has
pursued a separate proposal to indigenously upgrade the BMP-2’s power pack ---
which includes the engine and transmission. It is unclear how, if at all, this
relates to the current BMP-2 upgrade project.
India has operated BMP-1 and BMP-2 ICVs
since the early 1980s. Russia has been persuading New Delhi to buy its readily
available new BMP-3 ICV, rather than going in for the FICV. But the MoD has stuck
to the path of indigenisation.
“The opportunity to upgrade the BMP-2 will
hone our abilities to deliver the FICV. We will request the MoD one last time
on Tuesday to provide a level playing field to the private sector, as
successive DPPs have stipulated”, says a private sector official.
MoD owes Indian taxpayers an explanation on why it is gifting a major contract to the DPSU without competition when these organizations have drained our money for decades and still left us a backward and failed weapons producer. This is a serious issue that demands clarity.
ReplyDeleteits clear that until and unless all our DPSU's have full order books, private sector have no chance. whether it is HAL or MDL or OFB, they will be putting pressure on MOD to give them everything and only the crumbs will go to private sector. take the case of ship building, all DPSU's have bagged high value projects whereas private sector will have to settle for small contracts. also it suits govt as all the money stays within the govt. the govt is also afraid of favouring the private sector. I have always said that we must list out all important contracts and divide equally amongst DPSU's and private parties.
ReplyDelete"Disappointing" But India is a very big market for sale any purchase anything they keep patient to get there chance.
ReplyDeleteuptown18
Parrikar,
ReplyDeleteDon't prove that you are all talk and no action!
Very bad. What will happen to investors of Larsen and Tubro, Bharat Forge and Tata Power.???
ReplyDeleteSlovak army has recently invield upgraded version of their Soviet era bmp1 and 2 this would keep them running for nxt 20yrs more , DRDO and ODF medak should try some thing this for our mechanised fleet
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ReplyDelete