Congress demands public debate, detailed inquiry into Rafale deal
Kolkata, Aug 25: Firing a fresh salvo at the Modi government on the Rafale aircraft deal, the Congress on Saturday accused it of ignoring the defence procurement procedure and keeping senior ministers in the dark about the negotiations, demanding a public debate and detailed inquiry into the "secretive" happenings.
Senior party leader P. Chidambaram, while addressing a media conference here, alleged that the price for the aircraft had gone up more than three times under the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) regime than what was agreed to by the erstwhile United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.
We think the matter is serious enough that there should be a public debate and a detailed inquiry, which is why the Congress President (Rahul Gandhi) and the party have raised the issue, he said at the West Bengal Pradesh Congress headquarters here.
Chidambaram said the UPA government had entered into a contract to acquire 126 Rafale aircraft -- 18 of them in fly away condition and the remaining 108 aircraft to be made in India by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited in Bengaluru, under a transfer of technology agreement with a French company, Dassault Aviation.
"The negotiated price was Rs 526 crore per aircraft. Suppose instead of 18 aircraft, we were buying 36 aircraft at Rs 526 per aircraft, it would have come to Rs 18,940 crore," he said.
However, after the UPA was voted out in 2014 and the NDA came to power, Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his official visit to France on April 10, 2015, announced that an agreement has been signed to buy off the shelf 36 Rafale aircraft.
Although the price was not revealed, in subsequent documents of Dassault Aviation's report, the price was revealed to be 7.5 billion euros, equivalent to Rs 60,145 crore, Chidambaram said.
The price which was agreed on the Prime Minister's visit was Rs 60,145 crore and per aircraft it comes to Rs 1,670 crore as against Rs 526 crore (negotiated by the UPA), he claimed.
"If these numbers are correct, will someone explain why the price has gone up three times? That is the first question. To which the answer (given by the NDA government) is: 'this is a secret agreement, and we cannot reveal the price'."
"I am revealing the price today, what is so secret about it? It is there in Dassault's annual report which is 7.5 billion euros, which works out to Rs 61,000 crore, and per aircraft it Rs 1,670 core," he said.
Raising questions about the procedure followed to enter into the new agreement, the Congress Working Committee member said: "There is a defence procurement procedure which was completely bypassed. There is a contract negotiation committee, which never met for this deal. There is a price negotiation committee, which was never called to meet for this deal."
"Above all, there is a cabinet committee on security, which has to approve any defence purchase of this size. None of these committees were involved. None of the ministers knew about it. The defence, finance and external ministers did not know about it," he alleged.
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Delhi to adopt fully digital system for time bound traffic challan disposal
New Delhi (PTI): The Delhi government will soon implement amended Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, making the traffic challan process completely digital and time-bound, to curb violations and enhance road safety, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said on Sunday.
Under the new framework, avoiding challans will no longer be possible and timely resolution will be mandatory for all citizens. Importantly, violators will not be able to approach courts directly to contest a challan without first going through the prescribed process, said a Delhi CMO statement.
Anyone committing five or more traffic violations within a year will be classified as a "serious offender" and will risk suspension or disqualification of their driving licence under the amended rules, it said.
Gupta noted that the issuance of challans will now be fully modernised.
Police or authorised officers can issue challans either physically or electronically. In addition, violations captured through cameras and digital surveillance systems will automatically generate challans. The e-challans will be delivered within three days to the violators through their mobile numbers, and a physical notice will be delivered within 15 days.
Once a challan is issued, the violator will have 45 days to either pay the fine or challenge it before a grievance redressal officer through the online portal, supported by documentary evidence. If no action is taken within this period, the challan will be deemed accepted, and payment must be made within the next 30 days, the statement said.
If a challenge is rejected, the individual can either pay the fine within 30 days or approach the court after depositing 50 per cent of the challan amount.
Failure to act within the stipulated time will result in the challan being treated as accepted, with payment required within 15 days thereafter.
Payments can be made through electronic modes. The grievance redressal officer will be required to upload a decision on the portal within 30 days, it said.
The chief minister made it clear that once deadlines lapse, daily electronic notices will be issued. Continued non-payment will lead to restrictions on all vehicle-related services, including payment of taxes and processing of driving licence or registration-related requests.
The vehicle will be flagged on the official portal as 'not to be transacted,' effectively blocking any further transactions until the dues are cleared. In cases where necessary, and subject to court orders, police or authorised officers may also impound vehicles involved in violations.
All challans will be issued in the name of the registered vehicle owner, who will be notified via SMS, email or other digital means, it added.
