BY: IANS

Faced with a plethora of complaints about the poor quality of food provided to Indian Army soldiers, Defence Minister A.K. Antony called a high level meeting here Wednesday to consider the corrective action that needed to be taken.

Indian Army chief Gen. J.J. Singh and other top military and civilian officers from Army Headquarters attended the hour-long meeting, a defence ministry source said.

'Antony asked searching questions about the manner in which food supplies were procured, the checks and balances needed to ensure quality, and the corrective measures that needed to be taken,' the source added, speaking on condition of anonymity.

'The minister has time and again been stressing on the need to ensure that soldiers get wholesome food of good quality. The complaints on this issue have reduced to a certain extent, but the fact that they are still being received shows that much needs to be done to eliminate them altogether,' the source pointed out.

That the issue has been worrying Antony from the time he assumed office last October can be gauged by the fact that during a visit to the northeast in January, he had even sought the help of soldiers to expose corruption in the procurement of food supplies.

'If you feel the quality of the food you get is bad, reject it. Take courage and come and tell me (about this),' he said while interacting with soldiers and junior commissioned officers (JCOs) in garrison town of Tezpur, 150 km from Assam's principal city of Guwahati.

'Jawans must get the best quality of food. There can be no compromise on quality,' Antony asserted.

The minister's remarks Jan 9 acquired added importance as they came on the day an army court of inquiry (COI) held a second three star general guilty of lapses in the procurement of foodstuff - this time, frozen mutton.

Lt. Gen. S.K. Dahiya of the Army Service Corps (ASC) was indicted for the lapse while serving as a major general with the Udhampur-based Northern Command that guards the country's borders with Pakistan and China. The verdict could lead to his dismissal by the president, who is the supreme commander of the armed forces. Four other officers were also held guilty.

Dahiya, who is currently serving in south India, has appealed against the verdict in the Delhi High Court and the army is contesting this.

Last year, Lt. Gen S.K. Sahni, who also belongs to the ASC and has since retired, was held guilty of lapses in the purchase of dry rations, including lentils. Six other officers, including a major general and two brigadiers, were also indicted in this case.

Sahni, who retired last October, has contested the verdict in the Delhi High Court, which has restrained the army from taking action against him till it delivers its verdict.