No cut in budget for procuring essential equipment: AK Antony

Even as his ministry is preparing itself for curtailment of funds, Defence Minister AK Antony on Saturday said there will be no cut in budget for procuring equipment essential for operational preparedness of armed forces.

"Everything depends on the entire financial situation of the government...for ammunition and platforms essential for operational preparedness of the armed forces, there would not be any cut," he told reporters on the sidelines of an IDSA function here.

The minister was asked if there would be delays in the procurement of weapon systems for armed forces due to economic slowdown and austerity measures.

He said in view of cost-cutting measures, the defence forces have been asked by the ministry to concentrate on prioritising their procurements.

In a recent meeting, Antony had told the three Services Vice-Chiefs that they should adopt a "focussed approach" for the remaining part of the fiscal and speed up procurements which have a direct linkage to their operational readiness.

Meanwhile, the defence minister awarded the prestigious K Subrahmanyam Award to academician Kanti Bajpai for excellence in research on strategic and security issues.

He advised the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA) to prioritise its resources to respond to changes that are taking place in and around India, so that its research outputs are "authentic, credible, and of high quality."