New Delhi, Dec 03: The government today asserted that the country's defence scientists have found that no data of sensitive nature was missing in the theft from Institute of System Studies and Analysis in the Capital in October. Replying to a question in Rajya Sabha, Defence Minister George Fernandes said investigations by the country's premier security agencies, Intelligence Bureau (IB) and Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) into the theft were still in progress.
He said 18 computer central processing units from two laboratories of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) had been stolen and a case registered with the local police.
To a spate of questions on the ongoing modernisation drive in the armed forces, the Minister said the actual expenditure would be of the order of Rs 12938.64 crore against the revised estimate target of Rs 12808.26 crore for the year 2002-03.
On the AJT deal, Fernandes said price negotiations with the British aerospace had been completed and government had decided to induct 66 'Hawk-115' advanced jet trainers for the IAF.
Out of these, he said 24 hawks would be purchased outright and the remaining 42 would be manufactured in India under licence by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd.
On the Phalcon AWACs system, the Minister said memorandum of principles and order of cooperation defining the scope of work between Israel, Russia and India had been signed.
Bureau Report