India's failure to resolve the deadlock with France on the proposed procurement of Rafale fighter jets has translated into a realization by the Defense Ministry that it needs to hone the negotiating skills of its officials. The Ministry is devising a special course for its negotiators.
"We need to build upon our negotiation skills and we are working on that as we are trying to work out courses for enhancing negotiation skills of all those who are dealing with procurement," Air Vice-Marshal M. Baladitya said.
It’s not only the Rafale procurement which is showing problems, there are a number of other defense deals, the future of which hang in balance in want of fruitful negotiations. Earlier this year, India's Ministry of Defense had set up a nine-member expert committee to suggest ways to overcome the hiccups plaguing various deals and to restructure the acquisition wing of the ministry.
According to officials, in last two years, 110 contracts worth $18 billion have been signed while 101 Acceptance of Necessities have been accorded worth $36 billion. But this figure is not reflected in actual deals signed by the government with most currently hanging in the balance.
