The CAG report on Union Government (Defence Services)-Army was tabled in the Rajya Sabha | Photo Credit: PTI

Key Highlights The CAG report on Union Government (Defence Services)-Army could not be released as it was not tabled in Lok Sabha The report focuses on the condition of the Indian Army troops deployed in high altitude areas As per the report, the calorie intake of the troops is compromised as high as 82 per cent

New Delhi: The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has said in a report that Indian Army troops stationed in high altitude areas in Siachen and Ladakh do not have protective multi-purpose boots and snow glasses to wear.

The lack of snow glasses and multi-purpose boots exposes the soldiers to ailments caused due to inclement weather, added the CAG report on Union Government (Defence Services)-Army. The snow glasses or UV-protection sunglasses are important protective equipment in the high-altitude terrain as the mountains bring one face-to-face with heightened UV exposure due to high altitude and the thinner atmospheric layer. Experts opine that the eyes are delicate organs and neglecting to use protective eyewear in such high-risk, high-altitude environments can lead to permanent ocular damage. Snow-blindness is irreversible in most cases.

The CAG report was tabled in the Rajya Sabha. Since it could not be laid in the Lok Sabha, Comptroller and Auditor General Rajiv Mehrishi did not release the report.

Sources in the Upper House of Parliament suggest that the audit focuses on the condition of Indian Army troops deployed in high altitude areas.

As per the report, the calorie intake of the troops is compromised as high as 82 per cent and the shortfall in snow goggles is between 62 per cent to 98 per cent. It exposes faces and eyes of soldiers to extreme weather in high altitude areas. Also, soldiers were left with no other option but to wear old and used multi-purpose boots after they failed to receive boots between November 2015 and September 2016.

News agency IANS mentioned sources as saying that the troops stationed at high altitude are provided with old versions of jackets, face masks, and sleeping bags.

"The troops are deprived of the benefits of using improved products," said the CAG report.

The report also mentioned that the continued dependence on import was due to the lack of research and development by defence laboratories.

It is to be noted that special scales of rations are approved to meet the daily energy requirements of the troops deployed in high altitudes. However, the report said, substitutes rather than the scaled items were sanctioned on a cost-to-cost basis, which led to the supply of a reduced quantity of substitutes.

Eventually, it compromised the calorie intake of the soldiers by 82 per cent.

The CAG also found out that at Leh station, there were no actual receipts of the special ration items, which were shown as the ones that were issued to troops for consumption.