Fund crunch

ally for ongoing capital projects such as building warships, aircraft, missile systems, etc.

“Either we are allocated more funds later in the year, or we need to cut down on expenditure elsewhere if we have to meet all liabilities that we have agreed on,” a senior naval officer said on the condition of anonymity.

The other option is to roll over the liability, a third defence ministry official said, asking not to be identified. According to Amit Cowshish, the former chief financial adviser to the ministry of defence, “rolling over committed liabilities happens, but is not a healthy practice. Importantly, it reflects poorly on the country.”

The situation isn’t very different for the Indian Air Force which has been a l l o c a t e d ~39,302.64 crore for capital expenditure, but which has committed to paying ~47,413 crore this year, a fourth senior defence ministry official, who did not want to be named, said. Among the big-ticket items IAF is paying for are the Rafale fighters from France.

The army is relatively better o f f . I t ha s b e e n a l l o c a t e d ~29,447.28 crore. It has a committed liability of ~21,600 crore.

The Indian Army is racing against time to stock up arms and ammunition to be prepared to fight an intense 10-day war. The process received a boost after the terror attack at the army encampment in Uri in 2016.

India is among the largest weapons importer in the world, according to think-tank Stockholm I nternational Peace Research Institute (SIPIRI). Between 2013 -17, the country accounted for nearly 12% of all global imports of arms, SIPRI said in its report released last year. The falling rupee has only added to the difficulties imposed by the funds crunch.

Since April 1 last year, the rupee depreciated 9.4% against the US dollar.

Cowshish claimed that this may be the first time in recent years that this is happening.

“It is a very difficult position to be in. Not providing for committed liabilities didn’t happen in the past,” he said. HT couldn’t independently verify this.

“Importantly, allocation of extra funds is unlikely to go up later in the year,” he added.

Interestingly, the Indian Army is yet to get ~1,487 crore that was sanctioned for strengthening perimeter security of encampments and installations, such as the one in Uri, in Jammu and Kashmir and the north-east. This amount was promised after terrorists stormed the Sunjuwan camp, the base of the 36 Brigade, last February. As many as 11 soldiers and one civilian died in the attack apart from four terrorists who stormed the camp.

Interim budget 2018-19 allocates ~3.05 lakh crore to the forces, excluding pensions. Including pensions, the number is ~4.29 lakh crore. Of the total, capital expenditure accounts for 24% and pensions 26%. with party flags and banners welcoming Priyanka Gandhi. Some posters showed her in an avatar of goddess Durga riding on a lion, while others had her pictures superimposed against her grandmother, former PM Indira Gandhi. The 47-year-old bears a striking resemblance to her grandmother and is known for her gifts as a speaker able to connect with voters.

The party’s office at Mall Avenue, too, was decked up.

During the roadshow, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi waved a cardboard cutout of the Rafale jet to the crowd, in a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Reacting to it, Congress workers shouted, “Gali gali mein shor hai , c howkidar c hor hai ” (There’s noise in the streets the watchman is a thief).

Rahul Gandhi said he has told his sister and Scindia that their mandate is to bring a government in the state that will ensure justice for all. “Their aim is definitely the Lok Sabha elections, but also to bring a Cognress government here,” he said.

“UP is the centre and heart of the country. I have made Priyanka and Scindiaji general secretaries and told them that they have to fight injustice that is rampant in the state for years. They have to fight against it and bring a government that gives justice.”

Priyanka Gandhi and Scindia were recently appointed as Congress general secretaries with charge of eastern and western UP, respectively, keeping in mind the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Using a cricket analogy, he said the Congress will play on the front foot and not on the back foot in the state.

“Till a Congress ideology government is installed here [Uttar Pradesh], we will not sit idle and ensure justice to the farmers, the youth, the poor,” he added.

Countering the Congress campaign, the BJP workers took a jibe at Priyanka Gandhi’s visit by putting a flex poster that read that the Congress general secretary was here to rob the state.

Hundreds of Congress workers in pink attire, calling themselves the members of Priyanka Sena, were also seen shouting slogans in her support. “With the P r i y a n k a S e n a a t Ne h r u Bhawan, Lucknow. It’s almost like a celebration here,” tweeted Sushmita Dev, president of the party’s women wing.

The procession caused major traffic jam in various parts of the city.

Priyanka Gandhi and Scindia will interact with party workers at the state Congress office in Lucknow on February 12, 13 and 14.

UPCC spokesperson Rajiv Bakshi told news agency PTI that Priyanka Gandhi’s entry into formal politics will enthuse party workers to regain lost ground in the state in the Lok Sabha polls. “This is an opportunity for the Congress to strike back in the most crucial state of the country where the organisation had all through been waiting for her to plunge into active politics,” he said.

Priyanka Gandhi is the Congress’s big hope for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections who will be shouldering the responsibility of reviving Congress fortunes, especially in the eastern part of Uttar Pradesh, say party insiders. Her entry into active politics has been at a time when the party is not only witnessing one of the most difficult times electorally but has also been sidelined by prospective allies for a grand Opposition with the Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) totally ignoring it in their alliance.

Priyanka Gandhi is pitched as a big draw with her charisma and voter connect, but her “rescue Congress” mission remains a daunting task in the state where the party has been pushed on the margins in the last 30 years.

Though she is no stranger to s uch r o a ds hows wit h her brother, she is seen campaigning for the first time outside the Gandhi family constituencies of Amethi and Raebareli and her political acumen and connect with the public will be at test for the first time.

The l a s t t wo Lok Sabha by-elections in eastern UP, for the Gorakhpur and Phulpur, were disastrous for the Con- gress. Party candidates managed to fetch only 2% vote share in each constituency.

In 2014, the Congress just managed to retain the Gandhi family constituencies of Amethi and Raebareli, as compared to the 21 it had won five years earlier. The party’s vote-share also dropped by almost 50% between 2009 and 2014.

Eastern UP, the area where Priyanka Gandhi will be active is presently the strongholds of chief minister Yogi Adityanath and PM Modi.

UPCC general secretary Dwijendra Tripathi said making two general secretary incharges of UP showed the seriousness Rahul Gandhi attaches to state. “Both are young and popular… They have a certain hold over the public and have leadership qualities and a rapport with the com- mon man,” he said.

Poll strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor on Monday said Priyanka Gandhi might not be able t o “t urn t hings around” for her party in the few months left for the Lok Sabha polls. The Janata Dal (United) national vice president, however, said she was a big name and a popular f ace, who c ould emerge as a force to reckon with in the long run.

(With inputs from PTI)