Aerospace Diary

Neelam Mathews Dec 14, 2012   Even as the debate between lobbying and bribery rages in India, with no clear distinction being made and for good reason as there are no rules nor regulations to define lobbying, perhaps we could take a cue from the US system that at first glance looks pretty transparent. A click on every company will give details on their spending on campaign contributions. Defense Aerospace Industry Profile, 2011 Total for Defense Aerospace: $59,702,900 Total Number of  Clients  Reported: 53 Total Number of  Lobbyists  Reported: 408 Total Number of  Revolvers : 303 (74.3%)   Campaign Contributions from this industry View totals by:   Client/Parent  |  Subsidiary/Affiliate Client/Parent Total Boeing Co $15,910,000 Lockheed Martin $15,166,845 United Technologies $14,150,000 BAE Systems $4,230,000 European Aeronautic Defence & Space $3,500,000 Space Exploration Technologies $860,000 Finmeccanic...

Neelam Mathews Nov 16, 2012 The delay in making decisions for major tenders gathering dust in the corridors of power, are becoming a source of concern for the military. In a quest for looking squeaky clean, India might just be compromising the operational preparedness of its forces. And of course, we may have overlooked that delays have a cascading effect in terms of money with the rupee depreciating, costs and obsolence in technology and equipment. So who is going to pay for this? The un-suspecting, naive tax payer ofcourse!  All because of inefficiencies, lethargy and a need to be transparent. Does anyone care anymore, one wonders? Is it time to permit lobbyists - a more respectable standing to middlemen- with a set of rules and guidelines as followed elsewhere including the US that claims to follow ethics in business dealings? I might be the most hated person to suggest this, but a bitter pill and guts is the need of the hour. Just a few examples. Take the 197 RSH helico...