New Delhi: The meeting of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence on Thursday witnessed verbal exchanges between chairman Jual Oram and Congress member Rahul Gandhi after the latter sought answers on various aspects of the budgetary allocation from defence officials. To a question from Gandhi, the officials told the committee that the ‘first phase’ of disengagement of the Indian and Chinese Army was progressing smoothly and would be completed in a day or two, it is learnt.
The CDS, the Director General of Military Operation, the defence secretary and other officials attended the meeting which discussed the budgetary allocation on defence. To a question from Gandhi on why the Rafale fighter jet was directly purchased by changing the original clause for technology transfer, the defence brass said it helped the IAF acquire the latest model of technology which will enable indigenous production in the near future.
The Oram-Gandhi exchange followed officials’ presentation…