The Shekatkar Committee was set up in 2018. The Ministry of Defense established it, with Lt General DB Shekatkar as its Chairman. The group was formed with the goal of improving combat capability and rebalancing defense spending. The Shekatkar Committee offered suggestions for improving the fighting capability of India’s three armed services. It helped streamline the defense budget and other issues.

This topic is important for the UPSC Prelims syllabus and also GS Paper 2 under UPSC Mains Syllabus, considering the significant impact on vulnerable sections in India.

What is the Shekatkar Committee?

The Shekatkar Committee was set up by former defense minister Manohar Parrikar. The committee submitted its report in December 2016. The study is now the driving concept for current defense reforms. It has never been made public since it deals with operational parts of the armed forces. Its dissemination would jeopardize national security.

The military reforms committee, led by Lt General (retd.) DB Shekatkar was established in 2015 by then-Raksha Mantri Manohar Parrikar.

On December 21, 2016, the committee submitted its report. It had obviously outdone itself with 200 suggestions.

A primary proposal is that the defense budget be between 2.5 and 3 percent of GDP.

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Shekatkar Committee recommendations

• The Shekatkar Committee had recommended that India’s defense budget should be in the range of 2.5 to 3 percent of the GDP. This is keeping in mind the possible future threats.
• It also suggested the establishment of a Joint Services War College for training middle-level officers. This is in addition to the three separate war colleges in Mhow, Secunderabad and Goa.
• It had also recommended that the Military Intelligence School at Pune be converted to a tri-service intelligence training establishment.
• The report also focuses on the optimisation of Signal establishments to include: 
  • radio monitoring companies, 
  • corps air support signal regiments, 
  • air formation signal regiments, 
  • composite signal regiments, and 
  • the merger of corps operating and engineering signal regiments.
• It included restructuring of repair echelons in the Army to include:
  • base workshops, 
  • advance base workshops, and 
  • static/station workshops in the field Army.
• It also called for the closure of military farms and army postal establishments in peace locations.

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Shekatkar Committee Recommendations Implemented by the Government of India

• Speeding up road building, Outsourcing road construction work beyond the Border Roads Organization’s capability.
• Using Engineering Procurement Contract (EPC) approach for all works costing more than Rs 100 crore.
• Delegating greater procurement rights to BRO for domestic and overseas procurements ranging from Rs 7.5 crore to Rs 100 crore.
• The acceptance of the Detailed Project Report also includes land acquisition and all regulatory permissions, such as forest and environmental clearance (DPR).
• With the EPC method, it is essential to award work only after 90% of the statutory permissions have been secured. The CoE's suggestion of securing previous approvals before the project begins needs to be adopted.

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Recommendations Under Implementation

• Signal Establishments are being optimized to include the following:
  • Radio Monitoring Companies, 
  • Corps Air Support Signal Regiments, 
  • Air Formation Signal Regiments, 
  • Composite Signal Regiments, and 
• the unification of Corps Operating and Engineering Signal Regiments.
• In the field Army, repair echelons are being restructured to include:
  • Base Workshops, 
  • Advance Base Workshops, and 
  • Static / Station Workshops.
• In addition to reducing inventory management methods, redeployment of Ordnance echelons to include:
  • Vehicle Depots, 
  • Ordnance Depots, and 
  • Central Ordnance Depots.
• Better use of Supply and Transportation echelons, as well as Animal Transport Units.
• Military farms and Army Postal Establishments in peacetime locales will be closed.
• Improvements to Army recruitment requirements for clerical personnel and drivers.

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Relevant Aspects Missed by the Shekatkar Committee

Defense Procurement Procedure

• This element has to be simplified in greater detail on a priority basis. However, the Shekatkar Committee only evaluated it in part.
• The Committee neglected to emphasize a critical issue about the makeup of the Defense Procurement Board. 

Improving Research and Development (R&D)

• The study is absolutely silent on the true need of the hour, which is to construct a dynamic “R&D” department.
• The only way to improve a force’s combat capacity is to equip it with high-end, cutting-edge weapon systems.

Welfare Measures

The Report makes no mention of other social measures that the armed services have requested, such as:

• housing, 
• child education, and 
• rationalization of Military Service Pay grants to troops.

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