The Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) can now procure various items, mainly arms and ammunition, more swiftly as the ministry of home affairs (MHA) has enhanced the powers of the director generals (DGs).
The ministry in a recent communication regarding procurement from Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs) that were created from the erstwhile Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) has finalised the guidelines and also asked DGs of forces to decide their priorities.
Central Armed Police Forces such as the CRPF, BSF, SSB, ITBP, CISF, NSF, and Assam Rifles purchase arms and ammunition and other types of equipment and items from the Defence Public Sector Undertakings. These seven DPSUs offer machine guns, small arms, assault rifles, grenade launchers, LMG, etc, which CAPFs will acquire from them.
According to the home ministry communication describing new guidelines, now procurements have been divided into two categories: critical and non-critical. The director generals have been empowered to decide the lists of both types of items as per their forces’ requirements so that important items needed on priority can be procured swiftly.
“CAPFs will categorize their requirement of Arms & Ammunition (A&A) and other items which they used to procure from erstwhile OFB, into two categories Critical items and Non- critical items. DG of the respective CAPF will be the authority to decide the categorization of critical and non-critical items. List of critical and non-critical items may be issued with the approval or DG of respective Force under intimation to PM Division (MHA),” the communication says.
The ministry has said that in the financial year 2022-23, CAPFs may procure critical items (including arms and ammunition) from DPSUs through a single tender enquiry under Rule 166 of OFR, 2017, and the procedure laid down in the Manual for Procurement of Goods, 2017.
“Earlier, procurement of important items including arms and ammunition used to take time. There was no segregation of items required immediately and those that can be procured in the next few months. Every force has its own priority, needs some important items in time, mainly weapons and ammunition due to deployment in hypersensitive areas,” a senior government official told News18.
“By giving powers to the DGs to decide what are critical items for the forces that will be needed on priority and what are not, the process of procuring arms and ammunition along with other items can be done swiftly. Various procurements were stuck mainly of the CRPF and BSF due to no clarity on the new process after the government dissolved the OFB,” a senior government official added.
For non-critical items, the forces will adopt the old format of open tender and call everyone to get the cheapest price possible.
The ministry is keen to procure made-in-India items and forces are trying to reduce dependency on foreign companies, an official said.
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