Latest news with #DAP
Malaysiakini
6 hours ago
- Business
- Malaysiakini
Heed BNM's wage reform call before expanding SST, urges ex-DAP MP
Former DAP MP Charles Santiago has urged Putrajaya to take heed of Bank Negara Malaysia's urgent call for wage reforms before expanding the scope for the Sales and Service Tax (SST). Charles referenced the central bank's deputy governor Marzunisham Omar's remark that controlling inflation alone is insufficient to alleviate cost-of-living pressures, as stagnant wage growth remains a concerning issue. "Is Bank Negara sending...
Hindustan Times
11 hours ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Farmers facing shortage of DAP: Hooda
Expressing concern over the shortage of diammonium phosphate (DAP) in the state, former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Thursday said farmers have to face shortage of fertilisers in every crop season because of mismanagement of BJP government. In a statement, the Congress leader said that there is a huge shortage of DAP in Sonepat, Jhajjar, Fatehabad, Hisar and Rohtak districts. 'Farmers have no choice but to buy expensive fertilisers from the black market. DAP stocks have completely run out in Sonepat. As against the requirement of 1.10 lakh quintals of fertiliser this season, only 40,000 quintals of DAP has reached farmers,' he said. He said the total consumption of DAP in Rohtak district is 1.70 lakh quintals, but the availability is comparatively less.
Hindustan Times
13 hours ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Defence ministry sets up panel to review acquisition procedure
The defence ministry on Thursday said it has set up a high-powered committee, headed by the director general (acquisition), to steer a comprehensive review of the Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) 2020 for speedy modernisation of the armed forces and boosting self-reliance in the critical sector. The panel includes senior officers from the ministry, representatives from the defence industry and academia. 'Following the declaration of 2025 as the 'year of reforms', the defence ministry has initiated a comprehensive review of the DAP 2020 to align it with existing government policies and initiatives. A committee headed by the director general (acquisition) has been constituted to carry out extensive deliberations with all stakeholders,' the defence ministry said. The panel has begun consultations with the stakeholders and invited suggestions from them by July 5. The aim of the review, the ministry said, is to meet the operational requirements and modernisation needs of the armed forces in a timely manner to ensure national security and achieve 'atmanirbharta' (self-reliance) goals by promoting technology infusion through indigenously designed and developed systems. It also seeks to boost the Make-in-India initiative by promoting defence manufacturing through facilitation of joint ventures and transfer of technology for the private sector, encouraging foreign original equipment manufacturers to invest in the country and establish India as a global defence manufacturing and MRO (maintenance, repair and overhaul) hub, the ministry said in a statement. Another goal is to 'promote design and development in both public and private sectors, with a focus on startups, innovators, and the private defence industry for indigenous technology infusion'. The panel was formed weeks after India launched Operation Sindoor in the early hours of May 7 and struck terror and military installations in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) following the Pahalgam terror strike in which 26 people were shot dead. It triggered a four-day military confrontation with Pakistan before the two sides reached an understanding on stopping all military action on May 10. Indian forces deployed several indigenous weapons during the clash. The panel has sought suggestions from stakeholders on a raft of issues including policy/procedural changes to streamline the acquisition processes, ease of doing business, conduct of trials, post-contract management, fast-track procedures, adoption of new technologies including artificial intelligence, and language improvements to eliminate ambiguity and enhance procedural clarity in the DAP. On May 30, defence secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh said DAP 2020, the document that spells out the complex procurement process, is being revisited to reflect current realities. He said the government is taking steps to shorten the weapon procurement cycle and has already cut it by more than a year -- a move aimed at accelerating the modernisation of the armed forces. 'The defence ministry has already, in the year of reforms, slashed the timelines for some of the processes in the procurement cycle. This would save about 69 weeks overall in the process timeline,' he said at a defence conclave. There is a need to shift away from the traditional nomination-based procurement focused mostly on the public sector to a more competitive pricing model where both the public and private sector can compete for orders, he said, adding this approach is already being implemented for shipbuilding and recently for the AMCA (advanced medium combat aircraft) project. The defence ministry has declared 2025 as the year of reforms aimed at transforming the military into a technologically advanced, combat-ready force capable of tackling new challenges. The nine areas identified by the defence ministry for focused intervention include simplifying weapons buying procedures, setting up of integrated theatre commands for the best use of the military's resources to fight future wars, and new domains such as cyber and space. On May 29, the chief of the air staff Air Chief Marshal AP Singh put the spotlight on the armed forces' agonising wait for new weapons and systems, saying he could not recall a single instance of a project being executed on time, in what was seen as a wake-up call for the country's defence production sector. 'Timelines are a big issue,' Singh said at the time.
Focus Malaysia
15 hours ago
- Politics
- Focus Malaysia
MCA should treat gutsy Wong Siew Mun as Malaysia's icon of free speech, its ‘poster girl'
PUBLIC perception of MCA as an advocate in championing free speech has skyrocketed of late in tandem with its Pahang Youth chief Wong Siew Mun being summoned to Bukit Aman for disputing a request from the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to telcos to collect mobile phone data. For that reason, she was being investigated under Section 505 of the Penal Code and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act (CMA) 1998 respectively for allegedly causing public alarm with the circulation of a statement and misusing network facilities. As MCA president Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong has pledged to stand firmly with her – and even to provide her with legal assistance – Wong has suddenly found herself endeared to Madani government doubters as a fighter of people's right to freedom of expression. In fact, her courageous action in light of rife speculation of MCA exiting the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition has given the grand old party of Malaysian Chinese a glimmer of hope to rejuvenate its 'tarnished-beyond-repair' reputation. Articulate with good command of Bahasa Malaysia, the 35-year-old who lost to DAP's Lee Chin Chen in the Bilut state seat contest during the 15th General Election (GE15) has charmed many pro-opposition voices who have begun to look up to MCA to replace the once firebrand DAP who is now a pale shadow of its former self. Interestingly, Wong whose trip to Bukit Aman on June 18 was featured in a video clip on the Facebook of opposition-slant blogger and political activist Ratu Naga received all-rounded applause for daring to 'tear apart the Madani government'. Berated at DAP, some commenters who are charmed with Wong's educated and professional poise even expect MCA to turn the table on DAP which they still perceive as 'seemingly communist and racist'. Only time will tell if MCA can turn over a new leaf by being the eye, ear, nose and mouth for check and balance – and mostly to fill the void created by the so-called 'fang-less' DAP ever since the latter become part of the Madani establishment. The bottom line is whether such role is more easily executed outside the realm of BN which is now a close ally of the Madani administration. – June 20, 2025
Indian Express
17 hours ago
- Business
- Indian Express
Defence Ministry begins review of manual for big-ticket purchases
Five years after publishing the detailed manual for defence capital procurements, the Ministry of Defence has initiated a comprehensive review of the Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) 2020. The move comes at a time the government has upped big-ticket military procurements, prioritising those made indigenously. It is aimed at easing and streamlining big-ticket defence procurements while aligning it with existing central government policies and initiatives. The DAP governs all capital procurements, while the Delegation of Financial Powers to Defence Services (DFPDS-2021) is the manual that governs all revenue procurements, including smaller equipment, ammunition, spares and other items for overhauls, refits and maintenance of defence platforms. A committee headed by the Director General (Acquisition) has been constituted to conduct extensive deliberations with all stakeholders, the Defence Ministry said Thursday. Sources said the requirement for further clarification of certain sections in the DAP was put forth by the services and the industry. It will comprise senior officers from the Defence Ministry, representatives from the defence industry and academia. Former bureaucrat Apurva Chandra, who had earlier served as DG (Acquisition), was appointed as the Principal Advisor to the panel. The ministry said the panel has begun consultations and has invited suggestions from stakeholders by July 5. The suggestions were sought on policy/procedural changes to streamline acquisition processes, covering categorisation, ease of doing business, conduct of trials, post-contract management, fast-track procedures, and adoption of new technologies such as artificial intelligence. Suggestions have also been sought on language improvements to eliminate ambiguity, remove inconsistencies, and enhance procedural clarity in the DAP and other relevant issues. The ministry said the DAP review is aimed at streamlining existing capital procurement rules to meet the operational requirements and modernisation of the Armed Forces in a time-bound manner. It will also look at aligning acquisition procedures with central government policies and initiatives to achieve self-reliance in defence by promoting technology infusion through indigenously designed and developed systems. The review seeks to enable 'Make in India' by promoting defence manufacturing in India through facilitation of joint ventures and Transfer of Technology for the private sector, encouraging foreign OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) via FDI alignment, and establishing India as a global defence manufacturing and MRO hub. It is also aimed at promoting design and development in both public and private sectors, with a focus on startups, innovators, and the private defence industry for indigenous technology infusion.
