India to halve size of new mountain corps

[Cheetah786]

Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said on 15 April that a financial crunch was forcing him to halve to 35,000 soldiers the strength of the Indian Army's new 17 Mountain Strike Corps.

Parrikar told The Hindustan Times that he was also freezing the corps' formation budget at INR380 billion (USD6.1 billion), INR500 billion less that the INR880 billion sanctioned by the former Congress Party-led federal coalition when it established the force in July 2013.

"The [previous government's] Cabinet Committee on Security had cleared the original proposal, but where is the actual money?" the minister said.

However, the minister did not elaborate on how the new formation, headquartered at Ranchi in Jharkhand State, would be configured with these reduced numbers and whether the process would be completed by the declared 2021-22 deadline.

 

[Indus Falcon]

Very good news. Keep up the good work!!

 

[Indian Patriot]

However, the minister did not elaborate on how the new formation, headquartered at Ranchi in Jharkhand State

Mountain Corps need to be HQ in Arunachal or adjoining states. What is the point of basing an HQ so far away from the front? It speaks of an overtly defensive attitude.

 

[axisofevil]

Mountain Corps need to be HQ in Arunachal or adjoining states. What is the point of basing an HQ so far away from the front? It speaks of an overtly defensive attitude.

Forget attitude....it has to make strategic sense. The HQ would get overun too quickly if a conflict took place suddenly.

 

[Guynextdoor2]

Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said on 15 April that a financial crunch was forcing him to halve to 35,000 soldiers the strength of the Indian Army's new 17 Mountain Strike Corps.

Parrikar told The Hindustan Times that he was also freezing the corps' formation budget at INR380 billion (USD6.1 billion), INR500 billion less that the INR880 billion sanctioned by the former Congress Party-led federal coalition when it established the force in July 2013.

"The [previous government's] Cabinet Committee on Security had cleared the original proposal, but where is the actual money?" the minister said.

However, the minister did not elaborate on how the new formation, headquartered at Ranchi in Jharkhand State, would be configured with these reduced numbers and whether the process would be completed by the declared 2021-22 deadline.

THERE WOULD BE ACTUAL MONEY IF THE FM DID HIS ACTUAL JOB

 

[Abingdonboy]

Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said on 15 April that a financial crunch was forcing him to halve to 35,000 soldiers the strength of the Indian Army's new 17 Mountain Strike Corps.

Parrikar told The Hindustan Times that he was also freezing the corps' formation budget at INR380 billion (USD6.1 billion), INR500 billion less that the INR880 billion sanctioned by the former Congress Party-led federal coalition when it established the force in July 2013.

"The [previous government's] Cabinet Committee on Security had cleared the original proposal, but where is the actual money?" the minister said.

However, the minister did not elaborate on how the new formation, headquartered at Ranchi in Jharkhand State, would be configured with these reduced numbers and whether the process would be completed by the declared 2021-22 deadline.

A far more effective way of spending the budget for now- it can always be expanded in the future. By 2022 the Indian GDP will be around $4 trillion and thus will be in a greater position to expand more aggressively.


The headline should be "India increases the the effectiveness and lethality of its Strike Corps"

 

[Cheetah786]

THERE WOULD BE ACTUAL MONEY IF THE FM DID HIS ACTUAL JOB

Wow, dude no need to yell at the messenger.

 

[Abingdonboy]

THERE WOULD BE ACTUAL MONEY IF THE FM DID HIS ACTUAL JOB

How is this the FM's fault sir? The way I see it, it is a combination of the IA's (who did not come up with realistic costs)and the MoD's (yes I'm looking at you Mr "Saint" Antony) who let this go unchallenged.

 

[Indian Patriot]

Forget attitude....it has to make strategic sense. The HQ would get overun too quickly if a conflict took place suddenly.

How far is Punjab from the border or for that matter Delhi from Pakistan? If you can have a strike corp in Ambala why not in Arunachal?

If not Arunachal then place the HQ in Assam. Why so far away in Jharkhand? They might as well have placed the HQ in Madhya Pradesh.

 

[kaku1]

THERE WOULD BE ACTUAL MONEY IF THE FM DID HIS ACTUAL JOB

Smoking weed again?

 

[Abingdonboy]

Mountain Corps need to be HQ in Arunachal or adjoining states. What is the point of basing an HQ so far away from the front? It speaks of an overtly defensive attitude.

The HQ is always going to be located behind your frontline, there is no need for an administrative centre (all a HQ is) to be located in Arunachal when it can effectively control and coordinate from anywhere in India thanks to satellites and fibre optic communication.

 

[Indian Patriot]

The HQ is always going to be located behind your frontline, there is no need for an administrative centre (all a HQ is) to be located in Arunachal when it can effectively control and coordinate from anywhere in India thanks to satellites and fibre optic communication.

So why have a Strike Corps HQ in Ambala which is in Haryana and very well within reach of the Pakistani frontier?

The Chinese have no apprehension about building super advanced infrastructure in Tibet and stationing their majority forces within shouting distance of border. But India has to go on the back foot. In fact the reason why border infrastructure in Arunachal, Sikkim, Ladakh was neglected because the Indian babus felt an advanced infra at the border will speed up Chinese incursion into India.

Face it, India has a strategic phobia of China.

 

[Guynextdoor2]

How is this the FM's fault sir? The way I see it, it is a combination of the IA's (who did not come up with realistic costs)and the MoD's (yes I'm looking at you Mr "Saint" Antony) who let this go unchallenged.

They may find it suprising- but when exports are down, debt is high and growth is nowhere close to the figures you are showing, you really will have problems getting actual money. And if we spend money on statue, bulgari glasses, dressing like peacock etc., it's even more difficult to get money. In the middle of all this, if a damp squib budget is presented with muted provisions for growth we will have to halve mountain corps, cut Rafale deal etc.

In the last budget the FM has given a bonanza that would give corporates a windfall of about 500,000 CRORES over the next 4 years. Nobody asked for that. If instead of buttering up big capitalists with such bonanzas that even they have not asked, those revenues were secured I can assure you we'll have more money to spend.

 

[cerberus]

In the last budget the FM has given a bonanza that would give corporates a windfall of about 500,000 CRORES over the next 4 years

so whats the problem corporate are the biggest source of job in india for youths

 

[SrNair]

I think more fund willapproved for high tech machines.