Ceased to be home secy before I could streamline MHA purchase

The process for procuring new weapons and equipment for Indian security forces is long-drawn out or "dilatory", but he had ceased to be in the top bureaucratic post before he could completely address the issue, former Union Home Secretary LC Goyal today said.
The senior IAS officer, now the CMD of the India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO), said this while announcing the latest edition of the international security exhibition, which will be held at Pragati Maidan here between October 8-11.
"The process of procurement of security equipment, devices and gadgets is a process that takes times. I have no hesitation in saying -- as a former Home Secretary -- that the process is very very dilatory.

"This process needs to be streamlined and the current focus of the government is on streamline it," he said.
The 1979-batch Kerala cadre officer said there was an urgent need to streamline these processes as technology is changing very fast and security forces and police department need to be "three, four or five times" smarter than a terrorist or nefarious mind.
Goyal said that as the Union Home Secretary, he was not able to understand why a three-step approach for such procurements was needed.

"I had taken this agenda and put it on the table, but before I could complete, I was not there as Home Secretary," he said.

The senior bureaucrat said he feels the new responsibility for him at ITPO is an "extension" of his previous assignment (as Home Secretary).
Goyal was abruptly replaced as the Union Home Secretary on August 31 this year and Rajasthan-cadre IAS officer Rajiv Mehrishi appointed in his place.
The national security scenario, Goyal said, continues to be under strain more from from external factors than internal ones and it was a concern that terrorist elements were using sophisticated weaponry.
"Hence, the modernisation of central forces and state police forces is very critical," he said.