Topic Of The Day:-“Clear The Air: On Rafale Deal”
The Fog Of Doubt Over The Rafale Deal Can Be Lifted Only With Greater Transparency
That troubling questions about the purchase of 36 Rafale fighter jets will persist despite a clean chit of sorts from the Supreme Court, was demonstrated compellingly last week following The Hindu’s detailed investigation into the deal. It showed that in comparison to the bid under the UPA there was an overall escalation in the price of each jet in the 2016 deal struck by the Modi government, because the price of 13 India Specific Enhancements (ISEs), essentially upgrades that were sought on the bare-bones aircraft, was spread over 36 jets as opposed to the original 126. Significantly, as The Hindu’s investigation revealed, three Defence Ministry officials in the seven-member Indian Negotiating Team objected to the €1.3 billion assigned to ISEs; it was eventually approved by a narrow 4-3 majority on the ground that ISEs are a non-recurring cost. But this raises an obvious and perplexing question: since they are a non-recurring cost, why did the government drop, or fail to secure, the follow-on provision, which would have given India the option to purchase more Rafales, and reduce the per-aircraft price by spreading the design and development costs involved in the upgrades? After all, the follow-on clause was a part of the deal under negotiation under the UPA government. The import of the question assumes an altogether different dimension given that the Air Force, with an old and depleting fleet, has required — and for some two decades now — far greater numbers of Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) like the Rafale. Last year, the government issued a Request for Information for 110 fighters, of which about 15% will be acquired in a flyaway condition and the remainder manufactured under the strategic partnership route. With the same manufacturers back in thebidding fray, we are in a way back to where we were — in other words, to a place that casts doubts on the vigour of India’s long-term planning when it comes to defence preparedness.
Owing to a mix of investigation, statements and government leaks, much of the information about the pricing, the acquisition process and the ISEs are already in the public domain. It is nobody’s case that information that could impact the aircraft’s operational capability or jeopardise national security should be shared, but the government has been less than willing to come forward to address the issue of pricing. Instead it has been taking cover, unconvincingly, under the secrecy clause in the general security agreement signed between India and France in 2008. Given the fog of doubt over a number of issues, it is unclear why it doesn’t adopt a more accommodating posture by arranging private briefings for Opposition leaders and permitting a JPC to examine the deal. Without this, the general presumption will be that it has something to hide.
MEANINGS AND WORDS
1) persist
Meaning : continue in an opinion or course of action in spite of difficulty or opposition.
Synonyms : continue
Antonyms : cease
Example : “the minority of drivers who persist in drinking”
2) despite
Meaning : without being affected by; in spite of.
Synonyms : against
Antonyms : exalt
Example : “he remains a great leader despite age and infirmity”
3) sorts
Meaning : a category of things or people with a common feature; a type(n).
Synonyms : character
Antonyms : individual
Example : “if only we knew the sort of people she was mixing with”
4) escalation
Meaning : a rapid increase; a rise(n).
Synonyms : growth
Antonyms : decrease
Example : “cost escalations”
5) sought
Meaning : attempt to find (something)(v).
Synonyms : desired
Example : “they came here to seek shelter from biting winter winds”
6) revealed
Meaning : make (previously unknown or secret information) known to others.
Synonyms : concede
Antonyms : contradict
Example : “Brenda was forced to reveal Robbie’s whereabouts”
7) assigned
Meaning : allocate (a job or duty).
Synonyms : allow
Antonyms : deny
Example : “Congress had assigned the task to the agency”
8) recurring
Meaning : occurring again periodically or repeatedly.
Synonyms : persist
Antonyms : halt
Example : “gratitude is a recurring theme in the book”
9) perplexing
Meaning : completely baffling; very puzzling.
Synonyms : confusing
Antonyms : clear
Example : “a perplexing problem”
10) depleting
Meaning : use up the supply or resources of.
Synonyms : bankrupt
Antonyms : develop
Example : “reservoirs have been depleted by years of drought”
11) bidding
Meaning : the offering of particular prices for something, especially at an auction.
Synonyms : behest
Antonyms : answer
Example : “other companies in the bidding include General Electric”
12) acquisition
Meaning : an asset or object bought or obtained, typically by a library or museum.
Synonyms : purchase
Antonyms : loss
Example : “the legacy will be used for new acquisitions”
13) impact
Meaning : the action of one object coming forcibly into contact with another.
Synonyms : shock
Antonyms : loss
Example : “there was the sound of a third impact”
14) Instead
Meaning : as an alternative or substitute.
Synonyms : rather
Antonyms : unmitigated
Example : “do not use lotions, but put on a clean dressing instead”
15) accommodating
Meaning : willing to fit in with someone’s wishes or needs.
Synonyms : considerate
Antonyms : greedy
Example : “we always found the our local branch most accommodating”
16) posture
Meaning : the position in which someone holds their body when standing or sitting.
Synonyms : aspect
Antonyms : absence
Example : “I got out of the car in an alert posture”
17) presumption
Meaning : an idea that is taken to be true on the basis of probability.
Synonyms : premise
Antonyms : knowledge
Example : “underlying presumptions about human nature”
