Dynamite News Nirmala Sitharaman: Didn't mention CAG, don't put words in my mouth
Sitharaman said that she was wrongly reported and added that the buying arms and ammunition for the armed forces was a continuous process.
Gandhinagar: Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday denied making any comments on a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report which had alarmingly revealed that the country's defence forces had ammunition that could last only for 20 days in the event of a war.
Addressing media persons here, Sitharaman said that she was wrongly reported and added that the buying arms and ammunition for the armed forces was a continuous process.
"When I met with the reporters, there was a question about the preparedness of the army and was there anything lacking in terms of ammunition. I told them that the buying of arms and ammunition for the army is a continuous process and often we feel that there is lack of something or the other. And, we have to fill this gap. And, since it is a continuous process, there shouldn't be any discussion which is devoid of facts," she said.
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She further said there was no mention about CAG report by her.
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"And, when he asked about the CAG report and other stuff to which I replied. But nowhere did I talk about the CAG report, don't put words in my mouth. Today, I am shocked to hear this media report that I have said that the CAG report was fact less. I would appeal to all media houses to report the facts," she said.
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The CAG, in its report tabled in Parliament recently, had stated that the defence forces had ammunition that could last for 20 days in the event of a war, instead of the minimum requirement of 40 days.
It criticized the state-run Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) for the inadequate quantity of ammunition supplied to the Army since March 2013. (ANI)