Indian MoD-funded think tank criticises national offset programme

India's Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA) - an independent think tank funded by the Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) - has urged for greater transparency in the implementation of the country's recently updated defence offset procedures.

The call came in the same week that India's Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) criticised the MoD for its "weak" monitoring of defence offset deals, in which some contracts were "not in consonance with the offset provisions" and allowed some prime contractors to side-step procedures.

In a paper published by the IDSA on 30 November, it said the MoD is missing an opportunity to "pave the way for smooth implementation of the new [offset] guidelines" by continuing to be unresponsive to stakeholders' queries about the updated policy. "Dynamism in responding to the concerns of stakeholders would establish the government's commitment to the objectives of the offset policy," it said.

In this sense, the IDSA is most judgemental about the MoD's Defence Offset Management Wing (DOMW), which was created under the updated offset guidelines that were introduced in August 2012. The DOMW replaced the Defence Offset Facilitation Agency (DOFA), which had been criticised in the past due to its lack of executive agency status.