Three more Rafale aircraft from France arrive in India without stopping, fuel-filled in the sky in UAE

Another consignment of Rafel jet from fighter aircraft has come to India from France. Three more Rafale fighter jets from France reached India on Wednesday. According to the information received from the Indian Air Force, these aircraft flew from the airport landed in France, and reached India directly without stopping. The Indian embassy in France tweeted that on the way, the United Arab Emirates aircraft fueled these fighters in the sky. Earlier, the first batch of five Rafale aircraft reached India on 29 July 2020.

India-France deal to buy 36 aircraft

Let us know that according to the Comptroller and Auditor General report presented in the Parliament recently, the Defense Ministry had changed its procurement policy regarding the purchase of Rafale jet. This change was made in 2016. After this change, in 2016 there was a deal to buy 36 aircraft between India and France. Due to this deal and policy changes, the imperative of declaring an Offset Partner was over. The report tabled in Parliament said that this change in the defense procurement policy was done in the year 2015 but it was implemented from April 2016.

CAG report presented in the house

According to this change in the defense procurement policy, it is not necessary to tell the foreign vendor about his offsets partner while signing the contract. But the CAG report tabled in the House states that the Offset obligations were to come into force from September 2019 and the Rafale deal’s first annual commitment should have been fulfilled this month and should be reported to the Ministry of Defense.

Resentment over poor management system

Let me tell you that the government has decided to abolish the offset when some time ago the CAG expressed its displeasure over the poorly managed arrangement of the offset policy. Please also mention here that under the offset policy of abolition, foreign defense manufacturing units have to spend at least 30% of the total contract price in India for all contracts exceeding Rs 300 crore. Which has to be done by purchasing components, transferring technologies or setting up research and development units.

In this regard, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said that the DAP also contains provisions to protect the interests of India’s domestic industry and to promote foreign direct investment (FDI) in order to set up manufacturing centers for import substitution and export.