BJP MP Meenakshi Lekhi calls for unique ID for defence equipment

New Delhi: BJP MP Meenakshi Lekhi on Tuesday called for implementation of NATO like numbering of defence equipments in the inventory of Indian armed forces, and highlighted that this will result in a 30 per cent decrease in procurements.

Raising the issue in the Lok Sabha during Zero Hour, Lekhi said: "Unique Identification (UID) is something we are using for human beings, but it is needed also for military equipments."

She said that many equipments in the Army, Navy and the Air Force are common with very large inventory.

"NATO standardised process has NSN (National Stock Number). We do not use numbers and our standardisation process is a problem. If we use bureau methods of efficient management of inventory, we will decrease our procurement by 30 per cent," she said.

The National Stock Number (NSN) is a 13-digit code recognised by all NATO countries, including the US Department of Defense, identifying all the "standardised material items of supply".

"We go on buying, making purchase of parts that are already available. People who have been working on this particular project need not be shifted, the project should be completed and some senior people be involved so that we can manage the inventory better and reduce our procurement," she said.

As per the National Codification Bureau of India, procurement costs can come down by nearly 30 per cent by streamlining process of procurement and efficiently managing the stocks with such identification numbers.