NEW DELHI – The Indian Defence Planning Committee (DPC) has made it clearthat the priority of the military should be to have adequate ammunitioninventory for a 30-day war rather than acquiring hi-tech high value weaponsplatforms from foreign arms makers, according to defence ministry officialsfamiliar with happenings at its first meeting.

Headed by the national security adviser Ajit Doval, the DPC, which has thethree service chiefs, and the defence, foreign and expenditure secretariesas members, met on May 3.

South Block officials who spoke on condition of anonymity told HindustanTimes that the apex committee came to the conclusion that the armed forcesjust about had adequate ammunition for a short 10-day war but were keen onbuying high value futuristic platforms.

The DPC decided that before the Indian armed forces commit to acquiring anyplatform in the future, the manufacturer will have to set up an ammunitionfactory through the joint venture route in India. The DPC advocated thatammunition purchase should be an on-going process with 25% of inventorydedicated for training purposes.

This decision was taken after it was brought to the notice of the recentlycreated DPC that the armed forces largely bought ammunition from therevenue budget and appeared more focused on acquiring big ticket hardwaresuch as aircraft carriers and top-end fighter planes from their capitalbudget. Focusing on ammunition as part of capability development, the DPCsaid, according to the officials, was the need of the hour.

In 2016, it made emergency purchases of ammunition, laser guided bombs andmissiles from Russia. This was the case even after the military wasmobilized after Parliament attack in December 2001 and after the Kaluchakmassacre in May 2002.

The DPC, which has been set-up on the basis of a 2009 Defence Ministeroperational directive and the Chiefs of Staff Committee, also reviewed thesituation on the Line of Actual Control with China and Line of Control withPakistan. It was decided that all border infrastructure projects should becompleted by 2022 even if they involves private companies such as Mahindra& Mahindra, Larsen & Toubro, and the Kalyani group, in road and bridgebuilding.