Panel formed to address Tejas fighter jet delays

A panel led by Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh has been set up to tackle delays in producing and inducting LCA Mk1A fighter jets.

Transcript

00:00More news coming in. High level panel has been formed to address delays in the LCA fighter

00:11jet induction. Defence Ministry has set up a five member panel to resolve delays in the

00:15production and induction of LCA Mk1A. The committee is headed by Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar

00:22Singh and has been given a one month deadline to submit its report. The initiative comes

00:27as the Indian Air Force faces concerns over declining number of operational fighter squadrons.

00:32The panel will explore ways to involve private companies also to speed up aircraft manufacturing

00:38and deliveries. The Indian Air Force awaits the delivery of LCA Mk1A.

00:42Indian Air Force Chief has raised concerns over the delays by the HAL.

00:51Shivani has got more details on that. Shivani, very recently concerns were raised and HAL had

00:56clarified. But the centre now having a panel now ready to take a look at these issues on how

01:03the gaps can be filled, how the loopholes can be looked into so that the delays are plugged in.

01:26Trying to maintain the strength that China has been showing along the LAC.

01:30And that's why the Indian Air Force Chief had been raising concerns over these delays by the HAL.

01:35And recently also remember Sneha, we had broken a story where the Indian Air Force Chief was heard

01:42raising concerns about these delays in the LCA Mk1A programme from the HAL, after which the

01:47HAL had also given out some clarifications. So now a high level committee has been formed. This

01:53is a five member committee, which will be headed by the Defence Secretary. And in a month,

01:58they will come out with a solution that what can be done to fill this gap as soon as possible.

02:03Shivani, I'm going to thank you for the moment. Leaving it at that,

02:06Shivani telling us about the centre's panel to speed up

02:10HAL Tejas production. Concerns remember had been flagged off very recently.