OUTDATED WEAPONS

I am shocked to read that nearly two-thirds of weapons are outdated (68% of weapons outdated: Army, March 14). The weak points of our defence capability should not have been made public. This revelation gives a scope to enemies, terrorist groups and insurgent forces to take advantage of it. I hope Army officers refrain from making such statements in the interest of national security.

Imtiaz Ali Khan Hyderabad

I hope Prime Minister Narendra Modi wakes up to this reality and accords top priority to the modernisation of weapons. Are our soldiers dying on borders because they have been given outdated weapons? Best weapons will increase confidence levels of soldiers. The army vice-chief’s demand is fully justified and it must be sanctioned on a high priority basis. Political leaders should take up this matter in Parliament.

G.V. Kumar Hyderabad

The inadequate budgetary allocation for the Indian Army is indeed very alarming. It has dashed all hopes of modernisation of our defence forces. As a consequence, it could affect defence projects as part of Make in India programme. The government must immediately allocate funds to acquire sophisticated weapons for the armed forces. Otherwise we will be left far behind our rivals and will further demoralise soldiers.

Parimala G. Tadas Hyderabad