After 23 years, a new chapter has been added to the history of Mechanised Infantry Regiment of Indian army with the raising of its 27th Batallion at Bhusaval in Maharashtra.
The ceremony, held on July 17, was attended by Lieutenant General PM Hariz General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Command, who is also the Colonel of the Regiment of Mechanised Infantry.
About the 27th batallion
According to the army, the 27th batallion could not be set up as per their previous plan due to acute shortage of BMP - a Russian-origin vehicle which is used for transporting soldiers.
Raised under the leadership of Colonel Ajay Singh Rathore, this 27th mechanised infantry battalion is equipped with intimidating anti-tank platform – the BMP-II. It is being said that this platform has one of the highest single shot kill probability.
Mechanised Infantry Regiment is the youngest of all regiments in Indian army and has proved its mettle in all types of terrains including the higher altitudes. Further, it has also taken part in the United Nations Peacekeeping Operations.
A senior army officer told Times of India, "One mechanised infantry battalion consists of around 62 BMP vehicles and about 800 personnel, including officers. It requires huge budgetary allocation."
Reason for slow expansion
In 2015, the Comptroller and Audit General (CAG) report mentioned that the army faced a 47 percent shortage of BMP vehicles. The report further mentioned that the operational preparedness of the mechanised forces was affected due to this.
Taking into account the huge budget allocation and the threat perceptions in Jammu and Kashmir and the north east region, a senior army officer told Times of India, "The Indian army has been paying more attention to its fighting arms as they are directly involved in these operations. As a result, adequate budget was not allocated to the mechanised infantry in the past two decades. This has hampered its expansion plans."
The key reason for the shortfall was the delay in supply of the 389 BMPs by ordinance Factories Board in 2009, said a Times of India report.
Indigenisation of spares
After seeing the delay in import of critical equipment affecting the combat preparedness, Indian army decided to indigenise the key components and spares for battle tanks and other military systems. The Ordinance Factory Board (OFB) has decided to cut down on import of spares from 60 percent to 30 percent.
The Master General of Ordinance (MGO) has reportedly started extensive talks with the leading defence firms to chalk out a strategy for the indigenisation of process. The delay in the supply of critical spares and equipment has been a grievance which is reportedly affecting the maintenance of military systems procured from them.
