Majority of Defence deals stuck up due to lobbying, vested interest and kickbacks: Manohar Parrikar

Panaji: The new Union Defence Minister, Manohar Parrikar, on Wednesday said most of the defence deals executed during the erstwhile Congress-led UPA regime had got "stuck" due to lobbying, vested interest and kickbacks involved.

Underlining the need to remove procedural bottlenecks, he said if this was not done, it would affect the procurement process.

"The issue of procurement for the armed forces has been taken on priority. This is very crucial to build the capability of the armed forces," Mr Parrikar told reporters at a media conference on his first visit to Goa after taking charge of the defence portfolio.

The minister also said the reported incursions by China into Arunachal Pradesh were "not serious" and is being effectively tackled by the army on a day-to-day basis.

"Chinese intrusion is not a serious issue. It is a serious issue for media. The incidents of incursions by China are a small issue that is being tackled by the army chief or the concerned commander in that area," he said.

There are large tracts of land along the imaginary border and many a time the forces cross it, he said. "The issue should be considered serious when they (China) set up their camps in our territory," he added.

The minister said the incursions like the one reported in Arunachal Pradesh "happen many a time in many sectors and are tackled within a day or couple of days". "It is not correct to call them major intrusions. They are a breach of LAC (the Line of Actual Control)," he added.

But he underlined the need to set up infrastructural back-up to handle "these kind of problems".

China's last major transgression in Arunachal occurred on 2013 in Chaglagam. But soldiers of the People's Liberation Army often transgress into the stretches where round-the-clock vigil is not possible. The "fishtail area" - so named because of the shape of the LAC there - is one such stretch.

In September, the Chinese and the Indian soldiers have been engaged in a three-week face off in Ladakh's Chumur after the PLA had transgressed into Indian territory. After several rounds of talks, the two nations resolved the matter and "status quo ante as on September 1" was restored.