Six Foreign, Indian Firms to be Black-Listed: Antony

[angeldemon_007]

Defence Minister A K Antony today said the CBI has recommended black-listing of six foreign and Indian firms for being involved in "illegal gratification" in the Ordnance Factory Board scam on 2009.

Answering written queries in the Rajya Sabha, he said fresh show-cause notices have been issued to them after the chargesheet was filed by the central investigating agency.

The companies that have been recommended for blacklisting by the CBI, include Israeli Military Industry (IMI), Singapore Technologies Kinetics (STK), German Rheinmetall Air Defence and Russian Cooperation Defence along with two Indian firms.

Antony said the decision to take penal action against the firms would be decided in consultation with Law Ministry and the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC).

Asked about the action taken against the Israeli firm, the Minister said IMI has been provided all available documents and has been directed to submit its reply to the show-cause notice within 15 days.

Due to the blacklisting of these firms, several defence ministry acquisition projects had either been stalled or scrapped.

This includes the artillery modernisation programme and upgrading of existing Indian Army howitzers.

news.outlookindia.com | Six Foreign, Indian Firms to be Black-Listed: Antony

 

[angeldemon_007]

Common man, i can't believe Antony is doing this. I have just one question, Whose loss is their ultimately ??/ Next time no company will participate in IA's artillery deal...

 

[madooxno9]

plzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz do not stop the ARTILLERY process... it's heights of madness now

 

[angeldemon_007]

ST Kinetic won't participate next time. I read once the interview of some CEO or President of ST Kinetics. He said its very annoying. First you bring artillery here for testing by IA, then they will say its not meeting their requirement, then they again call and again test and by the end of the test most of the firms get blacklisted except one or two leading to the cancellation of the project. Then all this happens again..

 

[KS]

This is what I have been saying all along.

Anthony is a bit too honest to be a good defence minister.

Make him the Agriculture minister. Atleast the hoarding of food items and vegetables will stop.

 

[Kinetic]

Black list all the companies! Don't know among the services this happens to IA only and specially regarding artillery. Its time to go to DRDO.

I want to know how many insiders are being punished except Sudipta Ghosh! Without their helps these companies cant involved in "illegal gratification".

 

[angeldemon_007]

I thought atleast M777 will atleast be inducted but again we are back to the same place. For god sakes Bofors happened more than couple of decades ago, please clear the induction.

 

[shaktiman2010]

Common man, i can't believe Antony is doing this. I have just one question, Whose loss is their ultimately ??/ Next time no company will participate in IA's artillery deal...

Actually it will make foreign weapon companies take India more seriously.

Antony is sending right message - India is not basket case where you commit wrong things and get away with it or blackmail GoI.

Its about money, honey and India is too big market so foreign weapons companies are not stupid to cry like babies and refuse to sell products. LOL!

GoI is learning the game of leverages slowly. I just hope they actually make them pay penalties($$) including Israeli companies. Its pure business and they(suppliers) must abide by rulebooks and laws of land where they are making profit.

Also, this confidence of MoD to openly take on foreign suppliers and make them follow rulebooks, is coming from recent Kaveri test success. Its just my gut feeling.

 

[shaktiman2010]

I thought atleast M777 will atleast be inducted but again we are back to the same place. For god sakes Bofors happened more than couple of decades ago, please clear the induction.

India is not falling apart if M777 is delayed by 10 years.

Problem of IA+foreign weapon import lobby nexus is more serious than M777 or other craps.

Antony is doing the right thing. Let's hope he is powerful enough to take on these bastards who killed domestic R&D since decades.

 

[shaktiman2010]

Antony is a pragmatic guy. He is not armchair cabin guy who listens to fat experts in his cabin and make decisions.

He visits facilities on ground and talks directly to factory worker/lab guys. That's what keeps him tied to "ground reality".

Its time to seriously focus and invest in domestic R&D and cut this "import fast or we will die" bullshit from Indian army.