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No JVA between HAL, Dassault for Rafale: Govt
New Delhi, March 12 (IANS) The government on Monday denied any joint venture agreement (JVA) had been signed between public sector defence firm Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and Dassault Aviation under the MMRCA deal for 126 Rafale fighter jets from France. It also denied that the old deal cost India $10.2 billion, stating that it was never finalised.
In a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Defence Subhash Bhamre said: “Due to the inability of the government to conclude negotiations and sign the contract, there was no such agreement between Dassault Aviation and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited or any other Public Sector Undertaking (PSU).”
He was replying to a question by Congress MP Vivek K. Tankha if a “JVA regarding Rafale Jet was signed between its developer, Dassault Aviation, and HAL, and was subsequently annulled”.
The minister added that “the quantum of offsets in the Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) for 36 Rafale fighter jets is 50 per cent, which includes investments in terms of Transfer of Technology (ToT) for manufacture and maintenance of eligible products and services.
“The current offsets policy of the Defence Procurement permits the vendors to provide details of their Indian Offset Partners (IOP) either at the time of seeking offset credits or one year prior to discharge of offset obligations. Vendor/Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) is free to select his Indian Offset Partner,” Bhamre said.
Meanwhile, in another written question, Tankha asked if the UPA government had “negotiated a $10.2 billion deal for acquiring 126 Rafale Jets, whereas the present government has finalised the purchase of 36 Rafale Jets for $8.7 billion, without the provision for transfer of technology”.
Bhamre in his reply said: “It had not been possible to finalise the terms and condition for acquiring 126 aircraft even after protracted process from the period of issue of a Request for Proposal (RFP) in 2007 to unsuccessful commercial negotiations up to 2014.”
“Further, there was only license manufacturing involved for 108 aircrafts for manufacture in India. As such, the terms and conditions between the earlier exercise to procure 126 aircraft and procurement of 36 Rafale aircraft in direct fly-away condition including cost per aircraft cannot be compared. Further, acquiring Transfer of Technology (ToT) for only 36 aircraft would not have been cost effective,” he contended.
He also denied any price escalation.
“It is not correct to say that there was an upward price escalation as no price was finalised,” Bhamre said.
The Congress party has alleged irregularities in the deal for buying 36 Rafale fighter jets off-the-shelf from France, signed between the Indian and French governments. It has also alleged that the fighter jets are being bought at a price higher than what was negotiated in the previous multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA) deal under which 126 fighter jets were to be bought, and included a number of fighters being assembled in India.
The government has meanwhile maintained that the price India is getting under the IGA is lower than in the UPA deal, and has refused to reveal the price citing a confidentiality clause.
–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.
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