Letters: On borrowed time

This refers to the editorial "Buying at home" (November 27). Indigenisation of our defence procurement is imperative and a strategic need .The private sector can play a major role in meeting this need. The bane of India's defence procurement has been the role of middlemen. Contrary to the claims of transparency, the procurement system is riddled with scams, inflated prices and huge pay-offs. The private sector should take the lead, as it does in other advanced countries. An article in Global Times, the Chinese Communist party newspaper, had this to say on India's defence preparedness and its vulnerability: "India faces huge vulnerability. More than 80 per cent of its critical weapons systems are imported from France, the US, Russia and Israel. If these countries cut off supplies or ammunition during a conflict, India would be helpless... But for how long can borrowed weaponry lead to genuine security?". China produces most of its defence requirement, and even exports to other nations. These are questions we should be asking, not the Chinese.

H N Ramakrishna, Bangalore

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