In a major move to cut through red-tape in the defence ministry, the Army's Vice Chief, Lt General Sarath Chand, has been given full financial powers to ensure the Army is stocked with enough ammunition to fight short and intense wars. While the government did clear the emergency procurement of weaponry worth 20,000 crores after the Uri terror attack on September 18, last year, the Vice Chief has now been allowed to carry on with this process without having to go through the Defence Ministry, a process that earlier took up to a year or more.
