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Antony asks DPSUs to maintain transparency

Stung by criticism that he had prior knowledge of complaints over irregularities in the army ordering Tatra trucks, Defence Minister A.K. Antony Thursday issued a "stern warning" to defence public sector undertakings (DPSUs) and asked them to keep their dealings with clients and stake-holders "transparent."


Antony conveyed the message to the chiefs of eight DPSUs at a meeting here at South Block to review their performance and functioning, a defence ministry official told reporters here.


"The defence minister issued a stern warning to the DPSUs on their dealings with their clients and stake-holders in the wake of allegations of a bribe offer. The defence minister stressed that there can be no compromise on transparency in their dealings," an official said.

The chiefs of DPSUs BEML, Hindustan Aeronautics, Bharat Electronics, Bharat Dynamics, Mazagon Docks, Goa Shipyard, Hindustan Shipyard and Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers were present at the review meeting, apart from Minister of State for Defence M.M. Pallam Raju and Defence Production Secretary Shekhar Aggarwal.


"The meeting was part of the series of reviews of the armed forces and the defence ministry's functioning and performance," the officials said.


The defence minister told the DPSUs to ensure timely deliveries of products ordered by the armed forces, maintain high quality and efficient post-sale support that they require.


He also said the DPSUs should set benchmarks for the private sectors in defence production.


Only last week, the parliamentary standing committee on defence had summoned the chiefs of the DPSUs and recorded their depositions on their functioning.