Bangalore: CAG Vinod Rai said except for a few "high octane" cases the armed forces have a "near perfect" image, but advocated accountability of the defence sector to Parliament as it uses public money and does not exist in isolation.
Delivering the Admiral R D Katari memorial lecture here on 'Good Governance-Accountability and Probity in the Armed Forces', Rai said the argument for secrecy in the defence sector should not be a pretext for avoiding public criticism and accountability. "Defence sector does not exist in isolation. It uses public money and must be accountable to the Parliament. Oversight of functioning of government offices which use public resources is the fundamental requirement of any democratic institution," the Comptroller and Auditor General of India said.
On the argument that defence is a sensitive subject and its functioning should not be put in public domain, he said, "The extent of confidentiality must be balanced." "Lack of transparency in any establishment, allows corruption, fraud and abuse of power. On the other hand openness facilitates accountability and it prevents adhocism in the decision making process," he said.
However, the CAG said, "Barring a few high octane cases which were highlighted by the media, the defences forces enjoy a near perfect image." On defence acquisition process, which involves multiplicity of agencies, he said, "Defence acquisition process involves at least 13 different agencies in multiple layers. It is granted that the procurement process involves multiplicity of agencies... I can assure that the entire procurement hierarchy is sensitized towards your urgency."
He said the acquisition process often gets delayed because of the uninformed queries about which the bureaucrats are not sensitized nor about the urgency and criticality of the requirements.
Source: PTI
