Government terms report on official's 'objection' in Rafale deal confusing
New Delhi, Sep 27 : The government on Thursday said the media report which talked about a senior official putting his objections to the benchmark pricing of 36 Rafale fighter jets "seeks to create confusion through distorted and selective presentation of facts" and maintained that the report suffered from "several factual errors that impact its entire tone and tenor".
Referring to the report carried by a newspaper which said that a Joint Secretary and Acquisition Manager (Air) had raised questions about the benchmark pricing of the jets and put his objections on record, official sources said in making "a lot of certain supposed observations attributed to an individual officer", the report "betrays ignorance of the collegiate process involving due deliberations and diligence at various levels, through which all major government decisions are typically taken".
The sources said the process is designed to ensure utmost integrity and transparency while allowing for "opinions to be freely expressed, recorded, discussed and, if necessary, modified".
The government has stated earlier that it has followed all provisions laid down in the Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) and other relevant guidelines while finalising the deal, and noted that the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) accepted the necessity for the acquisition of Rafale aircraft and mandated the Contract Negotiating Committee (CNC).
Following the stipulated process, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) accorded its approval to the acquisition on August 24, 2016, and not in September 2016, as has been erroneously claimed in the media report.
The said officer had signed the note considered and approved by the CCS on August 24, 2016. Thereafter, he proceeded in September 2016 for a one-week training programme - and not on leave - for which he had applied in July 2016, the sources said.
They said the media report has sought to raise questions about the price of the 36 Rafale aircraft, and noted that not only the price but also other factors including maintenance, training, armament and equipment, etc. were included in the contract for the 36 jets which represented "better terms as compared to the negotiations conducted by the previous government".
Parliament has already been informed on July 18, 2018 that the audit of capital acquisition system, including the Rafale aircraft, is being conducted by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India, they said.
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Girl stabbed in Delhi Cantt initially threatened to kill accused, reveals police
New Delhi (PTI): The teenage girl who was stabbed multiple times in Delhi Cantonment had initially threatened the accused with death, police revealed on Friday.
This development comes after the police took the statement of the accused, Amit (20), who was admitted to a hospital after inflicting multiple wounds on the girl's stomach and neck as well as on himself on April 6 evening.
According to police, the stabbing incident was triggered after the accused spotted a new dress in the girl’s bag, leading to a fight between them.
A senior police officer on Friday said that when the accused asked the victim not to take gifts from other boys, the girl allegedly said, "Tum kya kar loge agar mai lu? Zyada bologe to tumhe marwa dungi (What will you do if I take it? If you talk too much, I’ll get you killed.)"
Enraged and intimidated by the threat, Amit planned to end her life and when she called him to meet her at the bus stop. He allegedly took a knife with him.
After stabbing the girl, Amit also stabbed himself in the stomach, the officer said, adding that he is now out of danger and shifted to the hospital ward.
The police have taken his statement and are waiting to corroborate it with the victim, who has been admitted to ICU again after initially being taken out of it.
In her initial statement to the police, the girl had asked the police not to take any action against Amit.
“Amit, in his statement, has said that he was in a relationship with the victim for the past year. However, she had distanced herself from him, straining their relationship.
On the day of the incident, they even shared a meal together in a community kitchen; however, later, things took a turn for the worse, the officer said.
“We are waiting to corroborate Amit’s version with the victim, who is not in the condition to give a statement right now,” the officer said.
The police said the accused will be arrested once the doctors declare him medically fit and discharge him.
A case under section 109(1) of the BNS was registered against the accused at Delhi Cantonment police station.
