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Defence ministry mulling to legalize middlemen in arm purchase deals

by India Blooms News Service 30 Dec 2014, 09:23 pm

New Delhi, Dec 31 (IBNS): Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said that a new policy legalizing middlemen in arms purchases would soon be in place, media reports said.

The Minister told NDTV: “The middle men have to be declared and their commission cannot be linked to the outcome of negotiations.”

Parrikar, who took charge of the Defence portfolio last month, said the government would also allow these agents to participate in meetings to help the company they represent, since it may not be possible for official representatives to attend all meetings in India.

He said that the government could give conditioned and limited approval to dealing with banned defence firms.

The role of defence agents (popularly known as middlemen) was banned for years following the multi-million Bofors issue in 1980s when the Congress was in power.