Military needs more funds for modernisation: JS panel
The military has sought more funds in the upcoming budget for modernisation of the services as, it says, lower than expected allocation has kept the forces outmoded in term of military hardware.
'The military cannot procure modern equipment for want of money,' the chief of the parliamentary standing committee on the ministry of defence, Idris Ali, said Thursday after a meeting at the Jatiya Sangsad.
The military gave a presentation before the committee at the meeting in which they pointed out that the hardware the forces were using dated back to the 1980s.
The military-backed interim administration had approved over 6.4 per cent of the Taka 999.66 billion budget for the 2008-09 fiscal year for defence, compared to 5.9 per cent allocation for health sector, 6.1 per cent for transport and communications and 5.6 per cent for public order and security.
The Awami League-led government will place the budget for 2009-01 fiscal year on June 11 and the parliament is expected to pass it sometime in late July.
At Thursday's meeting, the committee suggested that the Bangladesh Machine Tools Factory and Ordnance Factory should be upgraded.
'It would help reduce dependence on import of arms and weapons,' said the chairman.
The meeting attended by the members of the committee – Mujibul Haq, Nurul Mazid Mahmud Humayun, Md Rafiqul Islam and Manjur Kader Koraisy – also emphasised formulation of a national defence policy.
It asked the ministry and the Armed Forces Division to present the draft defence policy before the next meeting to be held towards the end of June.
The draft was prepared during the Bangladesh Nationalist Party-led alliance government incorporating suggestions made by the parliamentary standing committee.
'There should be a reflection of the people's expectations in the defence policy,' said the committee chairman adding that the military affairs were being handled on an ad-hoc basis in the absence of a policy in the last 38 years.
Idris Ali, also a former defence secretary, said that there should be a guideline for implementation of the policy. 'We need a defence policy before everything.'
The meeting also asked the government to take immediate measures to settle the disputes with India and Myanmar over maritime boundary.
Foreign secretary Touhid Hossain, who attended the meeting, said that a process for negotiations had started to settle the disputes.
The committee observed that the Bangladesh Navy lacked necessary equipment to gather information on the country's maritime boundary. It suggested procurement of an oceanic hydrographical survey vessel for gathering necessary maritime data for the naval force.
'It would cost between Tk 80 and 100 crore,' the committee chairman said.
Bangladesh Navy is scheduled to present its functions and strength at the committee's next meeting.
Army chief General Moeen U Ahmed, naval chief Rear Admiral ZU Ahmed, air force chief Air Marshal Shah Md Ziaur Rahman and senior officials of the ministry attended the meeting.
http://www.newagebd.com/2009/may/29/front.html
