Indian paramilitary forces face massive shortage of 9mm bullets
 

RAWALPINDI: The nine-lakh strong paramilitary forces guarding India’s borders, fighting the Maoists in jungles, and responding to situations such as the Pathankot terror attack face a massive shortage of ammunition for their *******.

The scarcity of 9mm bullets — the primary ammunition used by these forces in close combat — has meant there aren’t e**ugh available for firing practice, and rationed
supplies for actual combat, Indian Express newspaper reported.

According to figures available with The Sunday Express, the shortfall of 9mm bullets in 2016-17 is likely to be over 75% — against a demand of 9.3 crore bullets for paramilitary and state police forces, the Ordnance Factories Board (OFB) has agreed to supply only 2.3 crore. “Even the current assurance of supply has come after much prodding by the home ministry. OFB was earlier committing to supply only 75 lakh bullets,” a senior home ministry official said.

An alarmed ministry has **w asked the forces to import bullets through a global tender for immediate needs, and to set up factories to manufacture their own bullets to cater to the long-term demand.

Home ministry sources said the problem had arisen because of the expansion of the police forces, the limited capacity of OFB to manufacture 9mm bullets, and the fact that its priority is to supply the armed forces. The problem, which has been festering for about five years, took on acute proportions about three years ago, the sources said.

Worst hit are the state police forces, but the paramilitary forces are suffering too. There is rationing based on operational areas and needs, and training has been severely affected.

A senior ******r of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police, which guards the Si**-Indian border, said that in many units, personnel have been getting only half the number of bullets required for target practice, and “some units are **t even practising, actually.”

Sources in the NSG revealed the ***** force was getting a tenth of its demand for 9mm bullets.

On the situation in the states, a senior Bihar Police ******r said, “******rs are expected to fire at least 70 rounds for practice annually. That has halved.”

Several paramilitary chiefs have raised the issue with Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi in recent meetings, following which the home ministry has asked the BSF to explore if it can set up a 9mm bullet manufacturing unit at its training centre in Tekanpur, Madhya Pradesh.

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