Par panel to examine accidents involving defence assets, assess defence procurement policy

A parliamentary panel headed by former Union minister Jual Oram will critically examine the cases of accidents involving defence assets and also assess the defence procurement policy.

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence has selected a number of subjects for examination, which include reviewing the selection procedure of officers in the armed forces, according to the Lok Sabha secretariat's bulletin.

"Accidents involving defence assets - a critical review, an assessment of defence procurement policy" are also among the subjects selected by the panel for examination, the bulletin said.

The committee had, in its report tabled in Parliament last year, said accidents had become a continuous feature in the Navy.

The Indian Navy witnessed 62 accidents between 2007 and 2017, and 177 officers were found guilty during inquiries ordered into such incidents, according to the report.

Similarly, according to government data, 44 aircraft and helicopters -- 26 fighter jets, six helicopters, nine trainer aircraft and three transport planes -- of the Indian Air Force were lost in crashes since 2014-15, in which 46 personnel were killed.

The details of the crashes were provided in the Lok Sabha by Minister of State for Defence Shripad Naik, while replying to a question.